Unauthorized Distribution

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Ralph Smith
Ralph Smith Posts: 30
edited March 2021 in Type Business
I know quite a few here has seen their fonts on web sites offering free unauthorized downloads but I'm curious to see who has seen their fonts actually for sale on a web site not authorized to license their fonts.

We came across a web site yesterday that was selling one of our fonts but we have no agreement with them to sell our fonts. 

If this has happened to you what did you do?

Comments

  • John Savard
    John Savard Posts: 1,172
    That depends. When they sell a copy of one of your fonts, do you actually get any money? If not, it's still piracy, and, even worse, it's commercial piracy.
  • Ray Larabie
    Ray Larabie Posts: 1,458
    I've seen my fonts a few times on Etsy and Creative Market. I used each site's reporting tools and the fonts were removed quickly.
  • Ralph Smith
    Ralph Smith Posts: 30
    John Savard said:
    That depends. When they sell a copy of one of your fonts, do you actually get any money? If not, it's still piracy, and, even worse, it's commercial piracy.
    Yes, they have sold copies and made money. I asked for an accounting which they surprisingly supplied although I'm not sure how to verify it.

    I plan on asking them to do either 1. Refund the money to the people who bought the fonts and tell them they are actually not licensed plus supply me with the names and email addresses of those who purchased the fonts or 2. Tell them they need to pay me the full retail price and also provide the names and email addresses of those who purchased the fonts so I can inform them they are now properly licensed. 

    By the way there are other fonts on this site from some very well know foundries. These fonts are not the usual Goudy, Helvetica, Rockwell knockoffs. I will be alerting these foundries today. 

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