Looking for legal documents to use PingFang typeface used in Logo

Hi Guys,

This might be a bit late, but I recently asked Apple if I could use PingFang commercially. The answer is YES, it's legal to use the font for personal or commercial use, but is prohibited to copy and distribute the electronic font files. Meaning, when saving out the file for print make sure you change the type to outlines, so you are not packaging up the font file and distributing it to non-Apple hardware.

This is exactly what they said;

'The fonts made available in Font Book may be used to create, display and print content on OS X running on a Mac. Such content may be used for either personal or commercial purposes. Users are, however, prohibited from copying and distributing the electronic font files made available in Font Book for use on non-Apple hardware.

If you are uncertain about your rights, you should contact your legal advisor.'

Hope that helps!

Here is an excerpt from the OS licensing agreement:

http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/OSX1011.pdf

which includes this for fonts:

E. Fonts. 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. These embedding restrictions can be found in the Font Book/Preview/Show

Font Info panel.

Apple's EULA is all about the "software" usage - they own it and are lending it to you for your use.

Not surprisingly, font foundries are specific about usage - to summarize, once you commit it to an "image", it is OK usage - even "commercially" (there wouldn't be signs, business letters, webpages, etc. if not - the business world would be brought to a standstill with usage contract negotiations!)

https://www.fonts.com/info/legal/eula/monotype-imaging < MonoType is a "foundry"

....

3. ...

"You may embed static graphic images into an electronic document, including a Commercial Product, (for example, a “gif”) with a representation of a typeface and typographic design or ornament created with the Font Software as long as such images are not used as a replacement for Font Software, i.e. as long as the representations do not correspond to individual glyphs of the Font Software and may not be individually addressed by the document to render such designs and ornaments.

- This means that the "image" is OK as long as the "audience" does not turn around and re-use the image to make their own font software - i.e., license to "display"

http://www.typography.com/faq/question.php?faqID=100

What’s involved in using a font to make a logo?

The simplest way to supply a logo to a client is to convert it to outlines in a drawing program. This saves the client from needing to license and install fonts, and it guarantees that the logo will appear exactly as you designed it.

If your client needs to install and use the fonts themselves, they’ll need to license the fonts for their own use, which they can do through this site.

At bottom, a static image on paper, a sign, a T-Shirt or a website is NOT using the SOFTWARE contrary to terms of Apple's (or other foundries') EULA

BUT, contacting Apple Legal would certainly be in order > https://www.apple.com/legal/contact/

I have thousands of commercial "designs" in the wild and have never - ever - made contact with a font foundry for a "usage agreement". As a matter of fact, I think I'll go to a restaurant in few minutes and order from a menu that I designed and for which I brokered the printing!

Very good question Sara --

I opened up FontBook (Apple's native font manager in the Utilities Folder. I double clicked on the first Ping font, and found all kinds of information, including:

That you have asked this question shows that you are a responsible Advertising professional. Anytime someone throws caution to the wind when it comes to logo development and font copyright law, it speaks loudly as to their lack of professional advertising ethics, IMHO. It's a serious issue, not to be taken lightly.

It may very well be this font is free for both personal and professional use, but It's definetly worth your time to find out first. It's one thing to use a system font in copy or text, and quite another to use it in a corporate logo, as I know you are well awware.

Trademark Pi