Under the 1976 Copyright Act (United States), the copyright owner has the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, distribute, publicly perform and publicly display the work.Īny or all of these rights can be licensed, sold, or donated to another party. Other agreements will restrict the ways you can use a font.Ĭopyright is a form of legal protection for those who create original works. Those agreements will vary among fonts and font makers – so read them very carefully to understand what you can and cannot do with the fonts you’re licensing.įor example, some agreements will restrict the number of computers you can install a font on. The End User License Agreement (EULA) defines your rights and obligations. Whether you pay for a font or acquire it for free, each font comes with a license explaining how you may use it (and how you may not use it). How do you acquire a license for a font?įonts can be free or licensed, for a fee, for commercial use. The software that tells your display or printer to show a letter in “Helvetica” is the font. Variations of Helvetica, such as Helvetica Regular, Helvetica Italic, Helvetica Bold, etc., are fonts.

Technically, a “font” is a computer file or program (when used digitally) that informs your printer or displays how a letter or character is supposed to be shown.Ī “typeface” is a set of letters, numbers, and other symbols whose forms are related by repeating certain design elements that are consistently applied (sometimes called glyphs), and used to compose text or other combinations of characters.Īlthough many people would call “Helvetica” a font, it’s actually a typeface.

Background Info on Fonts, Typefaces, and Copyright Law How is a font different from a typeface? Let’s look at the law of fonts and typefaces and answer the most common questions agencies, designers, and marketers ask about using fonts in designs and marketing projects. After all, most lawyers don’t understand design or marketing.įar too many designers and marketers incorrectly assume they can freely use any typeface or font for logo design or any other design project.Įven design and marketing agencies often run afoul of font law and expose themselves and their clients to legal liability.

The truth is that most people, especially designers and marketers, do not understand the law governing the use of typefaces and fonts. The right typeface is often the key to a strong brand identity, a well-designed website, sharp-looking brochures, and strong marketing materials.īut there’s much confusion and misinformation about typefaces, fonts, and how designers and marketers can lawfully use them commercially.

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