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252d1488
Community Member

font licensing

 

 

ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Think of companies like Vogue, Netflix, Uber, flickr... there are a million companies whose logo is basically just a font that has been manipulated. If you own the font, then you are allowed to use it.

 

It's hard to say without seeing your logo or knowing the font name, but just buy the font from dafont.com and look at the readme file. It will tell you if there are any restrictions and likely also give you the designer's info, whom you can contact if you still have questions.

 

On the other hand, if the "free" font is actually a ripoff of something like Helvetica or Bodoni, you would be better off purchasing from a more mainstream font source such as fonts.com.

 

 

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11 REPLIES 11
mtngigi
Community Member


Brittany P wrote:

I worked with a designer here in 2018 for a logo design for commercial use. Recently found out the design is limited to Personal use ONLY. And must be purcashed for commercial use.

 

How do I go about this situation? I highly doubt she purchased it, because she did not go over terms of use during the contract - should she be held accountable? And should I contact the owners about me using it without a license, I've made about $200 from my clothing line with the logo.

 

Also to mention, the font is from a free font website Dafont.com


There are many freelancers who falsely claim to be graphic designers, but they aren't. It is very easy to download free artwork, slap some text on it and call it a logo. The result is that clients unknowingly receive artwork created by someone else, or as in your case, for personal use only. It's really too late to hold her accountable, though you may want to report this to Upwork.

 

You are not at fault here, the freelancer is. If you do contact the owners, you can explain the situation; if anything, the freelancer is who they should be going after, not you.

 

Perhaps you can purchase the artwork for your continued use, if you really like your logo. Otherwise you may want to have the logo redesigned by someone more honest about their skills who will give you original artwork. There are many talented graphic designers on Upwork who are the real deal ... and unfortunately, just as many who aren't.

kbadeau
Community Member

If you know the name of the font, just go to Da font and purchase it. Usually the fonts that are for personal use only are very reasonable to purchase.

252d1488
Community Member

What about having the font redesigned (without purchasing the license) for commercial use? Is that legal? 

 

My apologies if this seems redundant, this is all a learning lesson. 

mtngigi
Community Member


Brittany P wrote:

What about having the font redesigned (without purchasing the license) for commercial use? Is that legal? 

 

My apologies if this seems redundant, this is all a learning lesson. 


Is the logo strictly a type logo ... no other imagery?

252d1488
Community Member

 


Brittany P wrote:
Yes it is strictly type. My company's name has two words. One word looks slightly rendered, the other is definitely the same.

What I'm trying to figure out is: if I don't purchase the license, and added an icon or different element...could I then use it commercially?

I just don't understand why the designer would sell it to me, knowing it cannot be used commercially.

Can you show the logo in question to us?

Might be easier to provide more specific answer if we could see the logo.

mtngigi
Community Member


Brittany P wrote:
Yes it is strictly type. My company's name has two words. One word looks slightly rendered, the other is definitely the same.

What I'm trying to figure out is: if I don't purchase the license, and added an icon or different element...could I then use it commercially?

I just don't understand why the designer would sell it to me, knowing it cannot be used commercially.

Because, as I mentioned in my first response - you worked with sometime who couldn't deliver an original piece of artwork ... this person didn't know or didn't care what they were giving you.

 

Fonts (especially on Dafont) are usually pretty inexpensive - purchase the font and include that file in your next job posting, along with your "old" logo, and ask that it be replicated. But first do read very carefully the font licensing to make sure you can use it for commercial purposes and in perpetuity.

252d1488
Community Member

 
mtngigi
Community Member

Brittany,

 

By redesigned, I mean a new logo - one that can come somewhat close to what you have in regards colors and style, but not so close that it is an exact plagiarized copy. Let's face it, there are many very similar-looking logos out there.

 

If you cannot purchase the artwork from the original creators, unfortunately you willl have to start over with a new logo ... but there is nothing wrong with asking a designer to use what you have as inspiration, and even include samples of other logos you like. This is not uncommon for clients to do.

I would think that it'd be cheaper and easier for you to purchase the font, if possible (presumably you already had things like labels and business cards printed, so they would all have to be re-done as well?). Did you look up how much it costs?

Think of companies like Vogue, Netflix, Uber, flickr... there are a million companies whose logo is basically just a font that has been manipulated. If you own the font, then you are allowed to use it.

 

It's hard to say without seeing your logo or knowing the font name, but just buy the font from dafont.com and look at the readme file. It will tell you if there are any restrictions and likely also give you the designer's info, whom you can contact if you still have questions.

 

On the other hand, if the "free" font is actually a ripoff of something like Helvetica or Bodoni, you would be better off purchasing from a more mainstream font source such as fonts.com.

 

 

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