Font foundries claiming ebook font embedding is “distribution.” Just another money grab?

[M.A.]

I had a problem recently with an ebook file as a result of which I discovered Adobe are encrypting fonts embedded in ebooks; this can cause your file to be rejected by retailers. I wrote a blog post about this and the others issues this new practice gives rise to, which is too long to post here and contains links to relevant sites, as well as images. If the topic interests you, the blog post is here:

http://mademers.com/globalindieauthor...

[K.J.]

Not surprising and imho, yes. Just another money grab.

I understanding the problem of theft through the internet, but enough is enough.

When I embed a font I try to use only open domain fonts.

[M.A.]

Yes, that will be my strategy, too, if this font encryption is going to continue to cause my ebooks to be rejected by any retailer, or cause my readers grief. I DRM my books so it strikes me that this is adequate to address any font piracy concerns. If Adobe or Microsoft start asking for royalties, or Monotype start enforcing their policy of having to pay for a separate licence, publishers are just going to stop using most of their fonts.