On February 1st Extensis will be hosting a free one-day Font Symposium on the topic of the Evolution of Font Management.
Now if that doesn’t sound like the most thrilling topic ever, consider this: about two weeks ago NBC Universal settled a lawsuit brought by Brand Design Co (House Industries) for unauthorized use of the Chalet typeface. While the terms of the settlement weren’t released, NBCU was being sued for $3.5 million. For violating the terms of a font license. For one font. Yes NBCU is a huge company, but it makes you think maybe it’s worth being diligent about font compliance, doesn’t it?
The NBCU suit was just one several high-profile cases brought last year. Ever hear of the TV show Falling Skies? TBS was sued by +ISM for misuse of a font in the show’s title. NBCU was also sued by the foundry P22 for $1.5 million for the unauthorized use of a font on Harry Potter merchandise. Even presidential candidates have been caught red-handed using fonts their campaigns had not purchased.
With those kind of high profile cases (and the amounts of money at stake), the trend of font-compliance lawsuits is likely to continue as more font houses take action to protect their intellectual property.
The symposium hosted by Extensis will feature discussion on topics like why font compliance matters, what companies need to do to protect themselves, and what foundries/designers need to do to protect their work. Speakers include representatives from Publicis, Condé Nast, Time Inc, mcgarrybowen, and Frank Martinez Esq, the premier legal authority on fonts and intellectual property.
The event is free and takes place Friday, February 1, 2013 from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Lunch is included. Register here. You never know. It might save you $3.5 million some day.
This article was last modified on January 6, 2023
This article was first published on January 24, 2013
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