CompuServe Messages

I'm highly confused about the ability to copyright font outlines … If this cannot be done, why have so many foundries gone to great lengths to make *minor* but detectable changes in fonts? Cg has had several versions of Helvetica over the years. If only the name can be copyrighted, why does anyone bother to re-cut the face? It would seem much easier just to copy the outlines. And why, for that matter, has Adobe bothered to pay royalties to ITC and others when they could copy the face and just change the name? And if outlines *aren't* covered by copyright, then why can't I dupe all my Adobe printer fonts, rename them and sell them at an enormous profit? Adobe's fonts, after all, are merely outlines. I suspect something is amiss here.