When a font designer has his design copied without his permission, then sold under a different name, and then doesn't see a cent of the royalties, it's not a pleasing situation, to say the least. And yet it's happening all the time.

By
Don Synstelien

Note: The following piece discusses a man named Duane Nason. Don Synstelien is, of course, referring to a particular, specific Duane Nason—a fellow at one time associated with Solotech Designs—and not any other person by that name. We're sure there are many honest, conscientious, creative, hard-working, kind, considerate, thoughtful, funny, wonderful people out there named Duane Nason, some of whose prospective employers, employees, business partners, girlfriends/boyfriends, and/or in-laws (maybe even the Duanes themselves), having Googled his name, might even end up on this web page. To those folks we'd like to say: don't worry, this is a different Duane Nason. In no way do we mean to cause upset or suspicion among the friends, family, business associates, high school classmates, and/or any other acquaintances—past, present, or future—of anyone else named Duane Nason. We're talking about some other guy.

Do you want to know what bugs me? People who think that the world should support them, that's who and people like Solotech design, who is distributing the designs of several font designers (including two of my own) and not paying the designers any royalties or fees of any kind. Personally, I think this sucks, and in my opinion, the guy deserves to have his creative license revoked... (insert Brooklyn accent here) "permanently-like."

After trying to contact this "designer" for several weeks, all I and the many others being ripped off get is ignored. Too bad we can't solve this with a phone call instead of lawyers and lawsuits.

It's also unfortunate this Duane Nason guy (he's the head guy at this Solotech place) didn't realize he was ripping off big name foundries in addition to us "small guys". Several of the fonts on "the Font CD" (that's the name of this $299.00 collection of FREEWARE AND SHAREWARE designs he is selling) have been licensed for distribution by companies like T-26, Plazm and others. Heck a great big chunk of the fonts came from the "a Blip in the Continuum" book by Robin Williams. Talk about your creative ways of making money. Imagine being able to "borrow" a design and market it as your own. Actually not a bad idea, low cost for development.... (He doesn't have to spend the long hours we did creating the fonts.) And no cost for royalties (you don't have to pay designers if your taking their designs without their permission). In my opinion.... What a jerk!

Of course, all would be peachy if it ended there, but it doesn't—turns out this guy advertises in several trade publications with ads that I and the others he's "acquired" designs from could not place because they are too expensive for us to run with our small profit margins. What a lucky break Duane has had, getting to form his little product on the hard work of others.

But anyway Duane, let me tell you how I would feel if I were in your shoes: I would feel ashamed that I could stoop so low to do what most of the world consider "stealing," and worse... not stealing like Robin Hood did, from the rich, but from the poor.

That's right, I could never steal from shareware designers and look at my face the next morning. And even if I could, I doubt I could expect anyone to respect me anymore. Although if I were in your shoes, and had decided to sell someone else's work as my own, I certainly wouldn't do it with such poor graphic design. Imagine, a designer who doesn't design, selling stolen designs with poor design. What a complete loser I would be if I were to do these things. Ah, to own Duane Nason's Shoes.

But you certainly aren't a loser are you Duane? Actually, you seem to have come out quite a winner. You probably look proudly in the mirror each morning, admiring your face and the business decisions you've made, after all you only hurt a few people, and it wasn't anyone you knew, was it?

Heck, probably these *Freeware and shareware* font designers wouldn't mind what you're building your product on their work. (Or would they?)

Well, Duane, I hope you're happy with whatever money you've made. I could have used it to help my wife go through college, my sister to afford a friggin' phone line for Pete's sake! I hope that whenever you get an order you think of the faces of the people you got your designs from, and maybe even what their children's faces look like; or you might not want to, it might hurt just a bit too much.

Of course, Duane is easy to reach—if you aren't trying to ask him why he's selling your designs. In fact when I covertly sent him email (without my name attached, sorry Duane...) in response to a design contest he was having, he was more than eager to answer right away, and not to mention, get his hands on my designs so that he could "look" at them. I'm sure that he would enjoy "looking" at my designs; all he has to do is open his catalog and he'll see at least two (as of my last count).

Hey, that's all I have to say on this one. Sorry for the gripe session, but it helps sometimes when someone releases a bit of steam about what's bugging them. In addition, as I know from several occasions, it sucks when people STEAL from you, really makes you feel violated.

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