There are lawsuits filed every single day, some of them against media companies. But this is the first time that I've heard about a TV network being sued because of the fonts they use.I don't mean that they're being sued for infringing on a logo or something like that, I mean they're being sued for the actual fonts that they use. I didn't even know you could be sued for using a certain font. The Font Bureau (which would make an excellent title for a crime series) makes fonts for such people as Apple and Microsoft, but NBC didn't get the rights to use their fonts in the logos for shows like Saturday Night Live, The Jay Leno Show, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for more than one time on one computer. NBC has been using them a lot more than that. They're asking for around $2 million.
Fonts are one of those things that you just think are used by everyone in the world. I've downloaded several myself over the years. But I guess it's different when you're a big media company and using them publically and for profit. This is going to be a rather fascinating case to follow.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on 'Faces of America' and the Beer Summit
Six Reasons Why '24' Has Jumped the You-Know-What
The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-12-2009 @ 10:49AM
wulfn1 said...
I am so tired of petty lawsuits for frivolous things. For crying out loud, it's a letter that you colored in or stretched or manipulated in some way , that doesn't entitle you to claim ownership over said letter! OOOH the letter police are going to come and shut you down because you used the wrong font! Puleease!
Reply
10-12-2009 @ 11:21AM
jim said...
This is hardly frivolous. Fonts are hard work.
10-12-2009 @ 12:30PM
erock said...
those typefaces are incredibly well designed and people spent very long hours making them. it's just like any other kind of art. if you don't pay for it, don't use it.
learn about copyrights.
10-12-2009 @ 5:14PM
web20lawyer said...
Whether we appreciate it or not, Fonts are protected under copyright law. They are the product of design work and possess commercial value. Believe me NBC knows that. I suspect there is a tremendous amount of copyright infringement when it comes to fonts used online and on mobile networks. Most organizations, do not keep track of when and where they got their license to the fonts. -- by internet trademark lawyer --- http://www.web20lawyer.com/page0/page28/copyright-lawtml.html
10-12-2009 @ 11:08AM
Jimmy said...
They should have asked for more than $2M.
Settle out of court and move on.
Reply
10-12-2009 @ 12:56PM
Robert said...
Yeah, it's sad, but I don't think $2m is enough either.
10-12-2009 @ 9:29PM
tingrin87 said...
agreed... 2 mil is what, budget for an episode of Heroes?
10-12-2009 @ 11:21AM
jim said...
"I didn't even know you could be sued for using a certain font. "
Are you f#$%ing kidding me?
Reply
10-12-2009 @ 11:30AM
Malfoy Roark said...
You expect a tv blogger (no offense to tv bloggers) to be well versed in IP law dealing with fonts WHY? If said tv blogger has in some way hinted that they have a background in typography or some sort of graphic design that's another story all together, but I'm guessing not.
10-12-2009 @ 12:15PM
jim said...
You only need to know about copyright infringement if you're a graphic designer? People that blog are creating work (and using FONTS no less) to be published. How can they not know?
10-12-2009 @ 9:31PM
tingrin87 said...
you drive a car, right?
cars operate on roads.
sometimes said roads may be elevated, such as a highway on-ramp
I assume that you are well versed in the mechanics of building highway on-ramps. you do drive a car, after all.
10-12-2009 @ 11:36AM
ifjake said...
2 million? companies could just hire a font designer to work in house to create fonts the company owns (by surreptitiously copying others with slight changes), though i suppose if 2 million is actually small, no font designer would actually take the job knowing they could have made so much more for less work.
yeah, i know, i'm being naive.
Reply
10-12-2009 @ 12:16PM
jim said...
Or they could use cheaper (or free) fonts instead of those under copyright.
10-12-2009 @ 12:28PM
erock said...
Most free fonts aren't supposed to be used for commercial works.
10-12-2009 @ 12:54PM
Robert said...
How do you not check with a fonts copyright holder before using it? You'd think that's why they'd have a legal department.
Reply
10-12-2009 @ 1:36PM
Aml said...
While I do believe that NBC should have to pay for their use of the font, I also have noticed that the fonts that they mention are nothing spectacular. There are plenty of fonts in Microsoft Word that look almost identical. Couldn't NBC have striked some sort of a deal with Microsoft. After all that is what the MS, in MSNBC stands for.
Reply
10-12-2009 @ 9:00PM
Camaj said...
Does MS own the fonts in word. I'd say it's more likely they just license them unless they're public domain fonts.
This reminds me I need to watch the critically acclaimed documentary, Helvetica, about fonts (yes, seriously!). Fonts are one of those things we just take for granted.
10-12-2009 @ 2:58PM
John said...
What? And nobody noticed he said "publically"?
I mean, c'mon, the guy doesn't even know how to use SPELL CHECK. What'd you expect?
(And before anyone decides to lambaste me for my grammar usage, at least I'm not a 'professional writer'.)
Reply
10-12-2009 @ 3:13PM
Bob Sassone said...
Actually, both "publicly" and "publically" are accepted spellings of the word.
Reply
10-12-2009 @ 5:24PM
Kelly said...
It's really hard for me to take this seriously.
Yes, designing a font is hard. I've done it. But these letters do look generic, and eventually after thousands of fonts have been created, you are going to get some that look alike. Only 26 letters in our alphabet, people. Perhaps you can create a lot from this, but it's not infinite.
Sorry, but I agree this is frivilous.
Reply