If you use a font in a way that violates the user license agreement, you could find yourself in a world of trouble. This is why it’s important to pay special attention to things like usage permissions whenever using third-party design assets like fonts, stock photos, and pre-made templates. Not only that, but you are granted protection in the form of legal recourse if someone infringes on those rights by reproducing or redistributing it without your permission. When you create an original work, you are entitled to reproduce the work, prepare derivatives, distribute copies, and display it publicly.
What Is Copyright?Īccording to the Copyright Alliance website, a copyright is a collection of rights that are automatically assumed by someone who creates an original work of authorship, and this includes those who create fonts. In this post I’m going to help you find what those permissions are and how to tell if a font is copyrighted. Not all fonts are created equal though, and they all come with varying usage permissions. Whether you’re a graphic designer, web designer, publisher, or anything else that requires creative copy, you’ve likely worked with many different fonts. Working with fonts is a daily routine for designers and creative professionals alike.