Getting a Grip on Your Font EULAs

Let’s try a quick game?

When asked, “Do you accept the terms in the license agreement?” when buying software, most of us tend to scroll down and hit the “I agree” button. Correct?
If yes, you are not alone! Let’s face it, no one has the time to go through a long list of legal jargon.

Just like any other software, fonts are intellectual property subject to copyright, trademark and patent, therefore licensed. This is why when installing a font the user will be prompted with an End User Agreement License (EULA) that they need to agree with.

The challenge is that font EULAs are not standardised and can vary dramatically. Type of font, foundry and even font use can dictate different clauses in a font EULA.
In a survey conducted among designers, we asked whether or not they read their font licenses. Eighty percent of respondents affirmed not reading licenses regularly.

And, although some might read them, when asked if they found their font licenses easy to understand, 78% noted some degree of confusion.

The risk is real. Not reading, or not understanding, your font EULAs might be putting your company at risk of font misuse which can lead to expensive lawsuits.
The easiest way to avoid legal jeopardy is to read the terms of your EULAs, and when in doubt contact the font foundry to clarify any questions you may have. Foundries can provide helpful insight on specific uses and key items on the user agreement clauses that you may need to be aware of.

Also, check your font user agreement for common misuses, never copy or distribute fonts without a license and ensure your license allows for font embedding. Embedding fonts can enable viewing and printing without requiring a font license, so long as there’s no editing of the document the font is embedded into. Of course, you can always create static images or convert text to outlines to send a document that does not require fonts to preview and print.

Find out more on how you can make the most of your font library, while keeping it safe and compliant by watching Chris Stevens, EMEA Sales Engineer, featured in our Webinar on Font Compliance. will be presenting on what you should look out for regarding font compliance.