7 Font License Terms Every Developer and Designer Must Know

Why Classify Font Licenses into 7 Distinct Dimensions?

When adopting a font for modern digital products, simply checking whether it is labeled "free" is insufficient. A typeface permitted for marketing graphics may carry strict prohibitions against inclusion inside mobile application binaries or CSS @font-face declarations.

Based on our empirical analysis of 53 popular open-source and corporate typefaces, FontLens categorizes font permissions into 7 distinct operational dimensions. Here is the authoritative guide on what each term means and how to audit them.

1. Commercial Use (commercial_use)

• Definition: Using the typeface to generate revenue, produce client deliverables, or support commercial business activities.
• Scope: Digital advertising, printed materials, video broadcasting, merchandise, and commercial web applications.
• Audit Rule: Across FontLens's database of 53 typefaces, over 50 permit commercial output without royalty fees. However, this permission applies to the generated visual artwork, not necessarily the underlying font software binary itself.

2. Logo & Brand Mark (logo_use)

• Definition: Converting typeface letterforms into corporate logotypes, product wordmarks, or registered brand identities.
• Scope: Trademark filings, vector brand marks, and corporate stationery.
• Audit Rule: OFL typefaces such as Inter and Pretendard permit logo usage freely. However, certain corporate licenses prohibit users from registering the resulting glyph designs as proprietary exclusive trademarks.

3. Web Embedding (web_embed)

• Definition: Serving font binaries (WOFF, WOFF2, TTF) from web servers for client-side rendering via CSS @font-face.
• Scope: Responsive web apps, public SaaS platforms, and digital landing pages.
• Audit Rule: Because web fonts involve distributing actual font binary streams to end-user browsers, this activity triggers distribution clauses. Confirm that web font hosting is expressly allowed in the original terms.

4. App Embedding (app_embed)

• Definition: Bundling raw font files directly inside mobile application binaries (iOS IPA, Android APK), desktop software packages, or ePub eBooks.
• Scope: React Native, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin, and Electron bundles.
• Audit Rule: While SIL OFL 1.1 explicitly permits software bundling under Clause 2, proprietary corporate licenses frequently distinguish static graphic printing from runtime software embedding, sometimes requiring bespoke agreements.

5. Modification & Derivatives (modify)

• Definition: Editing font outline curves, altering kerning tables, or subsetting font character sets to reduce payload size.
• Scope: Creating custom web subsets or building regional typographic variants.
• Audit Rule:
  • SIL OFL: Permitted, provided the derivative font uses a different name than any Reserved Font Name (RFN).
  • Corporate Licenses (e.g., S-Core Dream, Nexon): Generally prohibit altering font software binaries (modify: no).

6. Redistribution (redistribute)

• Definition: Distributing original or modified font files to third parties via public repositories, software installers, or design templates.
• Audit Rule: Any public redistribution must preserve author copyright notices and the complete license text file (OFL.txt, LICENSE, etc.).

7. Standalone Font Sale (sell_as_font)

• Definition: Selling the font software binary itself as an independent commercial product.
• Audit Rule: Prohibited across all 53 free typefaces cataloged in FontLens (sell_as_font: no).

Cross-License Comparison Matrix