ATypI
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"International Type Forgers Association"
.
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When the old "Association Typographique Internationale" (ATypI) was registered in Münchenstein (Switzerland), this organization requested its members to comply with the following "Code Morale" ("moral code"):
 
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THE MORAL CODE OF THE
ASSOCIATION TYPOGRAPHIQUE INTERNATIONALE

Whereas one of the aims of the Association Typographique Internationale
as given in article II of the Statutes is

"To fight by all means in its power against unauthorized copying; and to insist on the observance
of industrial property laws and copyright legislation, and to uphold among its members
the principles of professional ethics expressed in its moral code,"

Members of the Association Typographique Internationale
agree to honour the following Moral Code:

Members consider it to be incompatible with their professional ethics to make a reproduction
of another member's typeface, whether identical or slightly modified,
irrespective of the medium, technique, form or size used.
.

The above is an extract. For the full text see Moral_Code.pdf, pages 2-3.

In 1986, Charles Bigelow wrote (see file http://www.tug.org/TUGboat/Articles/tb07-3/tb16bigelow.pdf, page 5):

"Members of ATypI agree to abide by a moral code that restricts plagiarism and other forms of depraved behavior (pertaining to typography). These are noble goals, but some members (especially corporate members) of ATypI, confronted with the pressures and opportunities of commercial reality, nevertheless plagiarize typefaces of fellow members, the moral code notwithstanding. Since ATypI is a voluntary organization, there is very little that can be done about most such plagiarism. Some years back, a world-famous type designer resigned from the ATypI Board of Directors in protest over the organization's flaccid attitude toward plagiarists among its ranks. He has since agreed to sit on the board again, but criticism of the organization's inability to prevent type rip-offs by its own members, not to mention by non-members, continues to be heard."

In 2004, the ATypI which had turned into sort of an "International Type Forgers Association" now registered in New Jersey (USA) decided that the members consider it to be compatible with their depraved behaviour to make forgeries of other members' typefaces. Therefore this association of forgers, pirates, and plagiarists decided to retire the "Code Morale":
 

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MOTION REGARDING REVISION OF THE STATUTES
OF ASSOCIATION TYPOGRAPHIQUE INTERNATIONALE

ATypI agrees that "the Moral Code of the Association Typographique Internationale"
("Code Morale") is no longer conforming to the Association's objectives and therefore
decides to retire the Code Morale document without replacement.
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The above is an extract. For the full text see Moral_Code.pdf, page 1.

For historical details see the 38-page booklet "Statuts, Statutes, Statuten. Atypi. Code moral, Code moral, Code moral", Münchenstein, Association Typographique Internationale, 1977. This booklet was distributed during the 20th anniversary of the A.TYP.I at Lausanne on 29th September 1977.


Nachtrag für Deutsche

Daß die ATypI eine Art "Internationale Vereinigung von Schriftfälschern" ist, zeigte auch die Jahresversammlung im September 2006 in Lissabon (Portugal). Dort hatte die Schriftfälscherin Veronika Elsner der Elsner + Flake GbR, über die wir drei Dokumente verfaßt haben ("Der Abschaum der Typographie", "Der schwachsinnige Grafikdesigner als Fontkäufer", "Schriftfälschungen von Scangraphic alias Elsner + Flake"), auf der Podiumsdiskussion "The Business of Type" dargetan, mit welchem "Approach" ("need to step outside of the box") man schwachsinnigen Grafikdesignern die primitivsten Schriftfälschungen zu Wucherpreisen andrehen kann.