Custom License Explained

2 fonts under this license

Overview of Corporate Proprietary Font Licenses

Custom Licenses refer to proprietary terms written directly by corporations, gaming studios, and public agencies to distribute free branded typefaces.

Unlike standard open-source licenses (such as SIL OFL or Apache 2.0), corporate licenses are authored independently by company legal departments. Consequently, each font possesses its own unique boundary of permitted and restricted actions. While most freely allow commercial use in digital media and advertising, they frequently restrict font file modification and enforce strict brand preservation clauses.

Typical Permission Matrix in FontLens Data

Use Case	Typical Status	Operational Rules & Constraints
Commercial Use	Allowed	Marketing banners, YouTube video graphics, printed books, and product packaging
Logo & Brand Mark	Allowed (Verify)	Permitted in most cases, though some creators disallow trademark registrations
Web Embedding	Allowed	Permitted via `@font-face` web fonts on self-hosted websites
App Embedding	Allowed (Verify)	Usually allowed, but some vendors mandate prior approval for hardware or OS embedding
Modification & Derivatives	Prohibited	Altering glyph outlines, re-encoding, or building derivative fonts is disallowed
Redistribution	Conditional	Redistributing unchanged binaries freely is permitted; paid bundle resale is forbidden
Standalone Sale	Prohibited	Selling the raw font binaries for a fee is strictly forbidden

Three Essential Checks for Corporate Free Fonts

Strict Prohibition on File Modification (modify: no)
- The primary distinction from OFL fonts is that corporate licenses typically forbid altering glyph outlines or generating derivative font software. When creating WOFF2 subset files to optimize page load speeds, verify whether your subsetting process conflicts with their modification restrictions.
Brand Reputation & Prohibited Content Clauses
- Corporate releases regularly state that the font cannot be used in publications promoting illegal activities, gambling, or material that tarnishes the company's public image.
Archive Verification Snapshots
- Because corporate licenses can be modified or updated at the company’s discretion, teams should capture full-page screenshots of the licensing page and retain the date-stamped terms during project kickoff.

Notable Fonts in FontLens Under Custom Licenses

S-Core Dream: Comprehensive 9-weight geometric sans-serif typeface published by S-Core Inc.
Nexon MapleStory: Expressive display typeface created and distributed by Nexon Korea