http://web.archive.org/web/20160822030019/https://lwn.net/Articles/552178/

I consider Reserved Font Names (RFNs) harmful; Google Fonts (@davelab6) does not allow them, nor should they.

Reserving a font name primarily serves to detract from the work I put into my fonts, as fork authors feel forced to rename them, rather than acknowledge my work.

Furthermore, many RFNs are in practice legally null and void; for example, if I tried to declare an RFN on my KJV1611 font, that would be preposterous. Second, let's say a user opens a font under another FOSS license compatible with the SIL OFL, and decides to relicense their font as SIL OFL; to declare an RFN means that they are telling original author they can't use their own font name! (Obviously legally null and void.)

So, I think the GUI button "Add OFL" should not add an RFN by default. Perhaps a dialog should pop up asking, which explains a little bit about benefits and drawbacks of RFNs.

Comments?

Edit: Of course, we should not change people's saved fonts. Only if they click "Add OFL" should it change. By adding a dialog, we can inform old users that the effect of the button has changed.