Notice of Policy Decision: Policy Decision on Copyrightability of Digitized Typefaces

Citation
U.S. Copyright Office, Notice of Policy Decision: Policy Decision on Copyrightability of Digitized Typefaces (ML-393) (Oct. 1988) (full-text).

Overview
The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the Copyright Office had decided that digitized representations of typeface designs are not registrable under the Copyright Act because they do not constitute original works of authorship. The digitized representations of typefaces are neither original computer programs (as defined in 17 U.S.C. §101) nor original databases nor any other original work of authorship. Registration will be made for original computer programs written to control the generic digitization process, but registration will not be made for the data] that merely represents an electronic depiction of a particular [[typeface or individual letterforms. If this master computer program includes data that fixes or depicts a particular typeface, typefont or letterform, the registration application must disclaim copyright in that uncopyrightable data.