License details

[lrkrol]

This version based on the original IranNastaliq is published under the MIT license. The original IranNastaliq license, however, is still retained in the IranNastaliq-web.ttf file:

This original license does not permit redistribution:

NOTIFICATION OF LICENSE AGREEMENT

This typeface is the property of scict.ir Copration and its use by you is covered under the terms of a license agreement. You have obtained this typeface software either directly from Hamoonsoft or together with software distributed by one of hamoonsoft's licensees.

This software is a valuable asset of hamoonsoft. Unless you have entered into a specific license agreement granting you additional rights, your use of this software is limited to your workstation for your own publishing use. You may not copy or distribute this software.

If you have any question concerning your rights you should review the license agreement you received with the software or contact hamoonsoft for a copy of the license agreement.

scict can be contacted at:
http://www.hamoonsoft.com

I am thus unsure what the true license of this font is. Did you receive permission from hamoonsoft to redistribute this modified font under the MIT license? Or has the original IranNastaliq font been made freely available in some other way for your font to be allowed to carry the MIT license?

[lrkrol]

@davelab6 Perhaps you can help out here? Just saw your license-related pull request #1.

[zoghal]

hi @lrkrol

1. I apologize for the delay in responding.
2. Supreme Council of ICT of Iran(SCICT) is was the main council in Iran for ICT affairs for 1980-2011. the original IranNastaliq font was designed and manufactured for the general use of Iranians at the time. This font was also released for free and made available to the Iranian public. At that time, the council's executives said that the font was published with a free software license.
3. The history and story of this pen are very ambiguous, because this council, which is in fact its original owner, is no longer existed and no one is answering questions. Just take a look at the pictures for older versions:
   
   

Summary:
Unfortunately, to date, I have failed to understand what the correct and original license is for this pen and I still haven't found the right answer to this question 😞

PS: MIT license is a joke🥴

[lrkrol]

Dear @zoghal,

First of all, as you can see, no need to apologise to me for slow responses---but thank you very much for the response you did give.

Secondly, indeed, what you say about licensing has been my problem as well.

The original license permits at least personal use to whoever has obtained the font "directly from Hamoonsoft". Now, we can use the Internet archive to see that Hamoonsoft probably offered the font available online up until August 2011 through this page, but unfortunately the link to font downloads has not been archived, so we cannot be sure. If we could still download it from there, we could at least argue we got it "directly from Hamoonsoft" and would thus be allowed to use it.

A few years later, at least up until November 2016, we can know for a fact that the font could be downloaded from scict.ir, as archived here. If SCICT was the rightful successor to Hamoonsoft, at least with respect to ownership of this font, we could argue that we can still obtain the font "directly from SCICT" through this archive link. That still wouldn't permit redistribution, technically, but at least we'd be allowed to use it for publications. This is version 1.001. however; I have not (yet) found 2.001 in the archives.

Furthermore, in some jurisdictions, whenever a government body creates something, it is by definition in the public domain. If this reasoning applies to the SCICT, a government body of Iran, we could argue that in fact, the font has entered the public domain and thus we can do whatever we want with it. Of course, the original license does not appear to have been officially revoked, and anyway not SCICT, but Hamoonsoft is listed as the creator.

You say that the council's executives said that the font was published with a free software license. Do you remember where you heard this? Is this a statement that you could find somewhere on the archived pages of the SCICT? If so, that might solve the problem: it could be taken as proof that the license has in fact been revoked.

I'm just sharing thoughts here. As I said, unfortunately I have not been able to solve the problem, but now I'm hoping that with the use of the Internet archive, we may find a clarification that the font is public domain.

[zoghal]

dear @lrkrol
I have good news for everyone. After 10 years, the main developer (Mr. Hossein Zahedi) has given good explanations about the history of Iran Nastaliq font on this site(https://irannastaliq.ir/irannastaliq-history/):

طراحی و تولید اولین نسخه از فونت ایران نستعلیق، به سفارش و حمایت مالی شورای عالی اطلاع‌رسانی، در قالب طرح تسما (تولید و توسعه محتوای الکترونیکی) از سال 1385 شروع و در آبانماه سال 1386 به صورت رایگان و برای استفاده عموم مردم، منتشر شد.
مجری پروژه شرکت داده‌ورزان هامون (تولیدکننده فارسی‌نویس پروین) و طراح این فونت جناب آقای حسین زاهدی بودند.
پس از گذشت نزدیک به دو سال از انتشار نسخه اول، و احساس نیاز به رفع نواقض نسخه قبلی و همچنین افزودن ویژگیهای بیشتر از جمله کشیدگی حروف، طراحی و تولید نسخه دوم آن کلید خود تا نهایتا در خردادماه 1391 دومین نسخه از فونت ایران نستعلیق نیز منتشر گردید.
نسخه دوم همانند نسخه اول نیز با حمایت مالی شورا و اجرای شرکت دادهورزان هامون و طراحی آقای حسین زاهدی صورت گرفت.
متاسفانه پس از انتشار نسخه دوم، بدلیل انحلال شورای اطلاع‌رسانی، و نیز توقف فعالیت شرکت داده‌ورزان هامون، بروزرسانیهای بعدی این فونت نیز متوقف گردید.

I translated the above text into English with the help of Google translator:

The design and production of the first version of Iran Nastaliq font, ordered and supported by the Supreme Council of Information, in the form of Tesma project (production and development of electronic content) started in 2015 and was published in November 2016 for free and for the use of the public.
The manager of the project was Datavarzan Hamon (producer of Parvin Persian typewriter) and the designer of this font was Mr. Hossein Zahedi. After nearly two years have passed since the publication of the first version, and feeling the need to fix the violations of the previous version as well as adding more features such as the stretching of the letters, the design and production of the second version of that key until finally, in June 2013, the second version of Iran Nastaliq font. was published
The second version, like the first version, was also supported by the council and implemented by Hamon Davarzan company and designed by Mr. Hossein Zahedi. Unfortunately, after the publication of the second version, due to the dissolution of the Information Council, as well as the suspension of Datvarzan Hamon company, further updates of this font were also stopped.

So we can conclude that the license of the first and second version of this font is public domain.✌️

[lrkrol]

Thanks @zoghal for this find! It is good news indeed. Although finding a statement from the Information Council itself somewhere in the archives would still be ideal, the statement from Mr. Zahedi is probably as clear as it's going to get. I am also happy to hear development has resumed with a clear, albeit non-public, license.

Edit to add:
Now I see in the repository linked from #2 a statement that "The Information Technology Organization of Iran (ito.gov.ir) has acquired the font and has issued an Open Font Licence (OFL) in 2022." I unfortunately do not currently have access to this page, as I probably need to be inside Iran for it to work, so I cannot verify this. Can you?

[zoghal]

Unfortunately, most of Iran's government websites are Iran Access and are not accessible from outside Iran.

I checked this statement! Unfortunately, it is not true. It is not even clear what changes they made on the font that they published!

If this statement were true! Why should the original designer release a commercial version?😉