In other words, there’s an obvious and logical inference that the fonts that come with an operating system can be used. Honestly, I can’t image any court siding against someone who uses a font that came with the computer when nothing exists specifying that the font can’t be used. A safe assumption, I think, is that if no usage restrictions are listed beyond what’s mentioned in the OS X license agreement, they’re safe to use. These embedding restrictions can be found in the Font Book/Preview/Show Font Info panel.įor what it’s worth, Apple’s reference to the Font Book info panel for most fonts included in the OS do not provide specifics on how the font may be used. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you may use the fonts included with the Apple Software to display and print content while running the Apple Software however, you may only embed fonts in content if that is permitted by the embedding restrictions accompanying the font in question. I’m not sure where you got that information, but the following is directly from the OS X Catalina license agreement:Į. If you’re using a Mac, any fonts that are installed by default but which are not associated with Adobe are ILLEGAL. Shouldn’t Apple and others issue more obvious notices? I wonder how many people have fallen into this trap, using fonts without even realizing that using them illegal. In summary, my understanding is that I can legally use Adobe fonts (because of my subscription to Adobe CS), but I cannot use Apple fonts without buying a license.Īlso, do the rules apply equally to all images, or are there distinctions between, for example, book covers, images displayed with text in books and websites and images that are sold on their own (e.g. If you’re using a Mac, any fonts that are installed by default but which are not associated with Adobe are ILLEGAL.However, what happens if you cancel your Adobe CS subscription? Are your images with Adobe fonts still legal? If you’re subscribed to Adobe Creative Suite, then you can legally use any Adobe fonts without asking.Can anyone tell me if the following basic rules are correct? I wish I had seen a few DISCLAIMERS.Īnyway, I have to go back and weed out all my illegal fonts. I always thought that any fonts that are on your computer could be freely used in images.

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