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    • 26/07/2006 at 9:50 am #5477
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Hopefully this is the right forum for this question.

      We’re trying to source typefaces for use in our new AAA title. The chosen typeface will be used on the front-end, and probably on marketing collateral. Are we free to use any font we own in this production phase?

      Can anyone offer their understanding of font copyright law? Do most devs commission / create their own, or just use off-the-shelf fonts?

      Thanks in advance,

      Lewis

    • 26/07/2006 at 11:19 am #32737
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Are we free to use any font we own in this production phase?[/quote:7c88b0fadd]

      Yes, if you own it. Maybe not if you’re using it under license (i.e. bought the product with the font off the shelf but use governed by EULA).

      By way of example, a font you’ve created in-house from scratch may be owned by the company, but you do not own the Times New Roman font (e.g.) provided under license by M$ (e.g.) as part of Windows or Office.

      Do most devs commission / create their own, or just use off-the-shelf fonts?[/quote:7c88b0fadd]

      See above. Additional points to be made if you commission, rather than create in-house (e.g. make sure you actually get ownership title to the font, in addition to its use).

    • 26/07/2006 at 11:51 am #32738
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I would have thought that free ones are used until the in-house font is working. And the in-house font would be used on all marketing material. Surely you guys are creating your own font??

    • 26/07/2006 at 12:29 pm #32739
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Thank, guys.

      Surely you guys are creating your own font??[/quote:3064503097]

      There seems to be some debate about whether to create one from scratch or license one.

      Omen, has your experience been that Dev Co’s are better off creating one from scratch?

    • 26/07/2006 at 12:49 pm #32742
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      personally I’d go with licensing one… or using a non-ubiquitous open source/royalty free one. Usually (but not always) it’s much cheaper than creating one in-house

    • 26/07/2006 at 1:43 pm #32751
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Really?
      You’re going to have code to draw the font based on the font image that you have, so its just a matter of supplying the image. Surely its not that big a deal to create one. I think I’ve used an in-house font on all the games I’ve worked on, but then again, I’ve just seen the image that was used, no idea where it came from

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