I am making DIY logo for myself small business.
Are open source fonts safe to use anything?
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1Possible duplicate of Do I need to license fonts included with my OS?– CaiSep 10, 2016 at 22:03
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1The short answer is yes.– StanSep 10, 2016 at 22:27
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@Program please don't completely change the meaning of your question, especially after there have been answers posted.– CaiSep 10, 2016 at 23:23
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I couldn't delete question for new start. This is stackexchange's fault.– Program IdeaSep 11, 2016 at 1:58
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The long answer is also "yes"– DA01Sep 11, 2016 at 2:30
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2 Answers
Fonts, like other media, have varied licenses. Some can be used and distributed freely, but others must be licensed. Microsoft has a help page on this very subject.
Most of the fonts supplied with Microsoft products have been licensed from leading type foundries. In most cases Microsoft does not have the right to sublicense them. You can use Microsoft's free Font properties extension to find out who to contact regarding licensing issues.
The same applies to the fonts provided with other operating systems. It's best to do some research before using them (either to find open alternatives or purchase the appropriate licenses).
You said your business is small, so it might be best to use fonts with permissive licenses. Many great tools are available to help with this, but a good place to start is Google Fonts, which provides hundreds of open-source typefaces.
Best of luck!
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That link is about redistribution and embedding etc. which is not the same as using it to create a logo.– CaiSep 10, 2016 at 22:38
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Are open source fonts safe to use anything include logo making? Sep 10, 2016 at 22:44
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@Cai It includes information about copyright and licensing (and is relevant to the question because it refers to the fonts included in the operating system). Most topics on the page are applicable to graphic design, and I thought it best to provide a direct source instead of citing a third-party article. Regardless, designers should check fonts' licenses before using them. Sep 10, 2016 at 22:50
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@ProgramIdea Yes. You may use open source materials for practically anything except reselling the materials themselves. You don't own them. You may use them.– StanSep 10, 2016 at 22:52
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@ProgramIdea Yes! Google Fonts, the website I shared, publishes open-source fonts to "[make] beautiful type accessible to anyone for any project." It's still a good idea to read the license of the font you'd like to use, but you should be able to use it in most situations. Sep 10, 2016 at 22:55
Everything depends on the license of the font in question. For instance - if the font is published under OFL (SIL Open Font License) - you can use it for commercial proposes as well (use it as a font, not to sell it...) The best resource on internet for free for commercial use fonts is [Fontsquirrel] (https://www.fontsquirrel.com/) - the fonts are organized by categories, and there is all the information about the licence and use permissions for each typeface.
