Webfont Licensing Explained

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The license that came with your font is what counts. If you’re unsure, ask the foundry that made it.

Common license types

• Open licenses, such as the SIL Open Font License (OFL) and Apache License. These usually allow web use, with conditions you still need to follow.
• Desktop licenses cover installing a font on computers to make designs and documents. Many don’t cover web embedding.
• Web licenses allow embedding on websites, often limited by domain or monthly page views.
• App licenses cover fonts embedded in mobile or desktop apps.
• Subscriptions, such as Adobe Fonts, let you use fonts through their own service. They often don’t allow self-hosting the files.

What to check before you convert

1. Is web use allowed? Look for the words “web”, “embedding” or “@font-face”.
2. Can you convert it? Some licenses forbid changing the format.
3. Can you subset it? Some licenses count removing characters as a modification.
4. Are there limits? Check for page view limits, named domains or other conditions.
5. Do you have to credit the author? Some licenses require a notice.

A note on the Open Font License

The OFL allows modification, but a font may have Reserved Font Names. A modified version then can’t use that name. Check the font’s license file, and rename the font if needed. The Webfont Generator can rename it under Names and files.

Fonts from other websites

It’s easy to find webfont files in a site’s code, but that doesn’t give you the right to use them. Someone else’s license doesn’t transfer to you, so get the font from its maker or an authorized source.

What our tool does and doesn’t do

The Webfont Generator shows what each font file reports, including its embedding setting and license details. If a font is marked as restricted, it warns you and asks for extra confirmation. That information can be missing or wrong, though. devpack doesn’t verify licenses, and you’re fully responsible for how you use your fonts.