Fontware Limited - frequently asked questions about font licensing.

Frequently asked questions about font licensing

The major type foundries, led by Adobe Systems, have changed the way they licence fonts, from printer-based to a computer-based policy. The answers to the questions that follow are intended only as a general aid to understanding the new policy. Different type foundries may have slightly differing rules.
Q. Most fonts now come with a 5-cpu licence. Does this mean that customers will essentially be paying more for their fonts?

A. No. It is definitely not the intention to raise prices. Research has been conducted on computer-to-printer ratios with customers and has concluded that 5 computers per printer is on the generous side now and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

Q. What happens to licences purchased under the former (printer) convention?

A. Customers are free to use the products they have already licensed under the terms supplied when they licensed those products.

Q. What if the customers find that they need more licences than they already have?

A. Fontware will not pursue legal action against companies who find that they require additional licences to be legal if these companies take the initiative to promptly apply for those licences.

Q. Is font software copy protected?

A. No, font software has not been copy protected for years. Fontware depends upon honesty and integrity of its customers to follow the licensing rules.

Q. Is proof of licensure required with the application for further licences?

A. Fontware requires that proof of licensure must be provided upon demand. However we do not require this proof to be submitted with the initial request at this time. Fontware believes that the great majority of customers are honest and will only request proof if necessary to verify compliance with its licensing policies.

Q. Can a customer count a service bureau or other outside agency as one of the computer licences?

A. No. Fonts are licensed for use within a single company. Service bureaux and other agencies must purchase their own font licences.

Transferring fonts electronically

Q. What is the major type foundries’ position on users and service bureaux sharing typefaces and why?

A. The major type foundries’ licensing policy on transporting typeface software with print jobs to service bureaux is unchanged. Customers are allowed to give their font files to a service bureau along with a print job if and only if the service bureau already possesses a valid licence for the font software. The reason for allowing this to happen is to ensure that the customer’s version of the font software is the one used to image the print job. Customers are not allowed to give fonts to service bureaux who do not already possess valid licences for the fonts.

Q. When is it legal to embed fonts into documents?

A. Certain typeface manufacturers permit embedding certain fonts into documents for the purpose of viewing and printing only. Documents with embedded fonts are licensed to and installed on the computer doing the editing. The reason for this is that editing the file adds value to the file. For this, the customer is obtaining value from the fonts and is therefore required to have a valid licence for the fonts.

In general, embedding certain fonts is legal if the fonts are embedded but cannot be used to edit documents or accessed as fonts for use in other documents. Printing to a PostScript language file and embedding fonts into formats like PDF files (Portable Document Format - the Adobe technology) are legal ways to embed fonts. Sending fonts on floppies along with print jobs is not legal, since they can be installed and used as fonts in other documents.

Q. Which fonts may be embedded if the above rules are followed?

A. Typefaces in the Adobe Type Library that were created by Adobe, Linotype, ITC, Monotype and Agfa may be embedded in a document for viewing and printing purposes. Companies other than those named above must be contacted directly regarding font embedding privileges.

Q. Is it legal to print to a file and send the file to a service bureau for printing?

A. Yes. Customers may create PostScript files with embedded fonts, and then send this file to a service bureau for printing.