Font Licensing: What You Need to Know Before Using
Desktop and Webfont are different products, not two tiers of one license
A Desktop license allows installing the font on a computer and using it in programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign — that is, creating static graphics: logos, print layouts, presentations. It does not cover publishing the font on a website, because when a browser loads a page, it must receive the font file, which is a different type of use — distribution over a network.
A Webfont license is sold separately and is almost always limited to specific parameters: the number of page views per month and the number of domains where the font is placed. For a branded company with a website, this is an obligatory purchase — using a font from a Desktop package on a web page without a separate license is a direct violation of the EULA, even if technically the file can be converted to WOFF by oneself.
There is another nuance that is often overlooked: if a website generates PDF documents, operates as a SaaS platform, or embeds a font into an application for end users, a standard Webfont license is not sufficient— a Server, SDK, or SaaS license is required, which specifically describes such a usage scenario.
| Usage Channel | License type | What to Pay Attention To |
|---|---|---|
| Print Materials, Layouts | Desktop | Number of Devices/Users in the Company |
| Company website | Webfont | Pageviews Limit, Number of Domains |
| SaaS Product, PDF Generation | Server / SaaS / SDK | Separate License, Webfont Not Suitable |
| Videos, Clips for YouTube/Social Networks | Desktop or Separate Video License | Prohibition on embedding the font as a separate file in a project for distribution |
| Product packaging | Desktop + occasionally print-run limit | Some EULA restrict the print run |
| Logo based on the font | Separate permission for modification | Many licenses explicitly prohibit redesigning logos from font forms |
What awaits for using without a license
In Russia, responsibility is structured in three levels. Civil-law compensation to the rights holder — from 10 thousand to 5 million rubles, the amount is determined by the court based on the scale of the violation. Additionally, an administrative fine of up to 20 thousand rubles is possible. If the violation is significant and committed intentionally — criminal liability: a fine up to 200 thousand rubles or imprisonment for up to two years. This is not an abstract threat: font rights holders regularly monitor company websites and print media precisely because recognizing a font from an image is a task within automated comparison, not manual search.
In the USA, Germany, and the UK, fonts are protected as software, so claims there follow the logic of software piracy. In Russia, however, a second legal plane is added — copyright on a graphic work — which increases the rights holder's arsenal of legal tools.
Munich case: why one line of code can become a violation of the law
In January 2022 , a Munich court considered a case in which a website directly connected to Google Fonts from Google servers—a standard practice used by millions of websites. The issue was not with the font itself or its OFL license, but rather that when the font was loaded from a CDN, the visitor's browser transmitted the user's IP address to Google without the user's consent. The court ruled this a violation of GDPR and awarded compensation to the plaintiff.
After this decision, European courts began to mass require self-hosting of fonts — that is, storing font files on the company's own server, rather than connecting via external CDNs. For the Russian business, this is an unobvious but important lesson: even a completely 'legal' font from the standpoint of licensing can create a legal problem due to the way it is technically delivered to the user. If a company works with European audiences or plans expansion — self-hosting should be implemented right now, without waiting for complaints.
Who purchases the license: the designer, the client, or the agency
Here, top articles usually limit themselves to the general phrase 'clarify with the copyright holder', but in practice the logic is simple and tied to who the end user of the font is.
- Freelance/Agency license permits the contractor to use the font in work on projects for clients, but the right of use remains with the contractor — it does not automatically transfer to the client after the layouts are delivered.
- End-client license is needed if the font will be used by the company-ordering itself in its own products, on the website, in packaging — that is, continuously, not once-off within the framework of a single project.
- If a design studio develops a brand platform and passes the client a guideline with a recommended font, the responsibility to purchase a license for permanent use lies with the client — the agency usually licenses the font only for the process of developing layouts.
The error that both parties regularly make: the agency sends the client a font file 'for convenience', and the client installs it on dozens of employee computers without purchasing their own license — this is already a violation, even if the agency had a completely legal license. Passing font files to subcontractors and partners without an explicit clause in the EULA permitting sublicensing or distribution is also a risk that should be mitigated with written agreement before work begins.
How to check whether a free font can be used in business
Free does not mean unlimited. The Open Font License (OFL) — the most widely used free license — allows commercial use, modification, and embedding the font into products, but explicitly forbids selling the font itself as a standalone product. GNU GPL fonts, for example Ubuntu Font, are stricter: they can only be used in programs that are themselves distributed under the same license — this restriction is almost always inapplicable for a regular corporate website or a brand guideline, and such a font should not be used.
- Look for the license file next to the font (usually OFL.txt or LICENSE) and read it in full, rather than relying on the marketing description on the catalog website.
- Check whether commercial use is explicitly permitted — the wording 'free for personal use' means a ban on business application.
- Check for a prohibition on logo redesign — many licenses separately forbid using the letters of the font as the basis for a trademark.
- Clarify whether the permission covers web embedding (a notice for the public) — some Desktop licenses do not cover this even for free fonts.
- Keep a copy of the license at the time of download — conditions may change, and it will be difficult to prove that the rules were different at the time of use without an archived version.
Why do large companies often order custom fonts
The issue is not about status or the desire to stand out. At the enterprise level, a brand uses a font across dozens of channels simultaneously: website, application, packaging, outdoor advertising, internal documents, partner materials in different countries. Managing the conditions of licenses for multiple free or conditionally free fonts, monitoring changes in EULAs and pageview limits becomes more expensive than paying once for the development of a unique font with full rights.
A custom font eliminates the question of limits forever: the company owns the rights and can use it without restrictions on domains, devices, or views. An additional effect is that the font becomes part of the visual identity that cannot be copied by simply replacing Google Fonts with a similar alternative. For medium and small businesses, this may be an excessive solution, but for a company with turnover in hundreds of offices and multiple digital products, font development pays off faster than it seems at the start of the project, through reduced legal and operational risks.
Desktop and Webfont are different products, not two tiers of one license
A Desktop license allows installing the font on a computer and using it in programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign — that is, creating static graphics: logos, print layouts, presentations. It does not cover publishing the font on a website, because when a browser loads a page, it must receive the font file, which is a different type of use — distribution over a network.
A Webfont license is sold separately and is almost always limited to specific parameters: the number of page views per month and the number of domains where the font is placed. For a branded company with a website, this is an obligatory purchase — using a font from a Desktop package on a web page without a separate license is a direct violation of the EULA, even if technically the file can be converted to WOFF by oneself.
There is another nuance that is often overlooked: if a website generates PDF documents, operates as a SaaS platform, or embeds a font into an application for end users, a standard Webfont license is not sufficient— a Server, SDK, or SaaS license is required, which specifically describes such a usage scenario.
| Usage Channel | License type | What to Pay Attention To |
|---|---|---|
| Print Materials, Layouts | Desktop | Number of Devices/Users in the Company |
| Company website | Webfont | Pageviews Limit, Number of Domains |
| SaaS Product, PDF Generation | Server / SaaS / SDK | Separate License, Webfont Not Suitable |
| Videos, Clips for YouTube/Social Networks | Desktop or Separate Video License | Prohibition on embedding the font as a separate file in a project for distribution |
| Product packaging | Desktop + occasionally print-run limit | Some EULA restrict the print run |
| Logo based on the font | Separate permission for modification | Many licenses explicitly prohibit redesigning logos from font forms |
What awaits for using without a license
In Russia, responsibility is structured in three levels. Civil-law compensation to the rights holder — from 10 thousand to 5 million rubles, the amount is determined by the court based on the scale of the violation. Additionally, an administrative fine of up to 20 thousand rubles is possible. If the violation is significant and committed intentionally — criminal liability: a fine up to 200 thousand rubles or imprisonment for up to two years. This is not an abstract threat: font rights holders regularly monitor company websites and print media precisely because recognizing a font from an image is a task within automated comparison, not manual search.
In the USA, Germany, and the UK, fonts are protected as software, so claims there follow the logic of software piracy. In Russia, however, a second legal plane is added — copyright on a graphic work — which increases the rights holder's arsenal of legal tools.
Munich case: why one line of code can become a violation of the law
In January 2022 , a Munich court considered a case in which a website directly connected to Google Fonts from Google servers—a standard practice used by millions of websites. The issue was not with the font itself or its OFL license, but rather that when the font was loaded from a CDN, the visitor's browser transmitted the user's IP address to Google without the user's consent. The court ruled this a violation of GDPR and awarded compensation to the plaintiff.
After this decision, European courts began to mass require self-hosting of fonts — that is, storing font files on the company's own server, rather than connecting via external CDNs. For the Russian business, this is an unobvious but important lesson: even a completely 'legal' font from the standpoint of licensing can create a legal problem due to the way it is technically delivered to the user. If a company works with European audiences or plans expansion — self-hosting should be implemented right now, without waiting for complaints.
Who purchases the license: the designer, the client, or the agency
Here, top articles usually limit themselves to the general phrase 'clarify with the copyright holder', but in practice the logic is simple and tied to who the end user of the font is.
- Freelance/Agency license permits the contractor to use the font in work on projects for clients, but the right of use remains with the contractor — it does not automatically transfer to the client after the layouts are delivered.
- End-client license is needed if the font will be used by the company-ordering itself in its own products, on the website, in packaging — that is, continuously, not once-off within the framework of a single project.
- If a design studio develops a brand platform and passes the client a guideline with a recommended font, the responsibility to purchase a license for permanent use lies with the client — the agency usually licenses the font only for the process of developing layouts.
The error that both parties regularly make: the agency sends the client a font file 'for convenience', and the client installs it on dozens of employee computers without purchasing their own license — this is already a violation, even if the agency had a completely legal license. Passing font files to subcontractors and partners without an explicit clause in the EULA permitting sublicensing or distribution is also a risk that should be mitigated with written agreement before work begins.
How to check whether a free font can be used in business
Free does not mean unlimited. The Open Font License (OFL) — the most widely used free license — allows commercial use, modification, and embedding the font into products, but explicitly forbids selling the font itself as a standalone product. GNU GPL fonts, for example Ubuntu Font, are stricter: they can only be used in programs that are themselves distributed under the same license — this restriction is almost always inapplicable for a regular corporate website or a brand guideline, and such a font should not be used.
- Look for the license file next to the font (usually OFL.txt or LICENSE) and read it in full, rather than relying on the marketing description on the catalog website.
- Check whether commercial use is explicitly permitted — the wording 'free for personal use' means a ban on business application.
- Check for a prohibition on logo redesign — many licenses separately forbid using the letters of the font as the basis for a trademark.
- Clarify whether the permission covers web embedding (a notice for the public) — some Desktop licenses do not cover this even for free fonts.
- Keep a copy of the license at the time of download — conditions may change, and it will be difficult to prove that the rules were different at the time of use without an archived version.
Why do large companies often order custom fonts
The issue is not about status or the desire to stand out. At the enterprise level, a brand uses a font across dozens of channels simultaneously: website, application, packaging, outdoor advertising, internal documents, partner materials in different countries. Managing the conditions of licenses for multiple free or conditionally free fonts, monitoring changes in EULAs and pageview limits becomes more expensive than paying once for the development of a unique font with full rights.
A custom font eliminates the question of limits forever: the company owns the rights and can use it without restrictions on domains, devices, or views. An additional effect is that the font becomes part of the visual identity that cannot be copied by simply replacing Google Fonts with a similar alternative. For medium and small businesses, this may be an excessive solution, but for a company with turnover in hundreds of offices and multiple digital products, font development pays off faster than it seems at the start of the project, through reduced legal and operational risks.
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