Is paying for a font license for something that's for "personal use" normal?

[Samuel33849528gw2c]

Hello everyone!
I have an issue where an individual claims that I need to pay for a license for the Futura PT font, a font that I downloaded & used for my Portfolio. Since I got the first email, I've removed the font from my portfolio & changed all text objects that used that font to something else that's built in to the platform that I use to host my website (which is Wix).

The only thing I've responded that I've removed the font from my Portfolio but the individual still claims that I still need to pay for the liscense despite me removing it from my Portfolio.

When I check the liscense for Futura PT on the Adobe Fonts page at the bottom it says "The full Adobe Fonts library is cleared for both personal and commercial use", because the thing with my Portfolio is that it's for personal use & I'm worried that this situation will escalate & I'm wondering if this situation is normal?

[Samuel33849528gw2c]

I want to add that the only thing I've done so far is that I've changing the font to something that isn't using that font anymore & they have provided a link that I openend in a private window to check what it was.

[Lumigraphics]

Talk to a lawyer. But where did you download this font from?

[Samuel33849528gw2c]

I believe I maybe have or haven't downloaded a Futura PT font that had it under a personal use license & I have talk for several people on what I should do in case anything happens.

[Lumigraphics]

Since you don't even know what you did, its hard for anyone to advise you. You are likely not worth suing in Federal court over the use of a font on a non-commercial website.

[Samuel33849528gw2c]

Since you don't even know what you did, its hard for anyone to advise you. You are likely not worth suing in Federal court over the use of a font on a non-commercial website.

By @Lumigraphics

That's what I'm thinking as well, it wouldn't make any sense.

[Lumigraphics]

You could, however, be reported to your web host for TOS violations.

[Samuel33849528gw2c]

I'll keep it in mind.

[Bobby Henderson]

I don't do a lot of web development work, but my understanding is if you used Futura PT via Adobe Fonts' embedding code you should be in the clear. If you uploaded web font versions of Futura PT for use on a web site and didn't have a license for those fonts then it would be sort of understandable why Paratype would want you to buy a license. On the other hand I don't know why they would personally care about certain fonts being used on an individual's portfolio web site. It seems like "small potatoes" to me. My guess is the company has some kind of automated software that sniffs across the web looking for instances where its fonts are being used and then automatically starts sending out emails when records don't match.

In response to the question in the subject line "is paying for a font license for something that's for personal use normal" -the answer would be yes -if you're someone that really likes fonts. Commercially sold fonts (such as Futura PT) are just commercially sold fonts. They're going to cost money regardless of how they're used. I've paid for a decent number of fonts out of my own pocket because I am a font nerd. Some type families get pretty expensive; the trick is buying good ones when they're heavily discounted (often when they're first released).

Some fonts are offered up with mixed licensing -free for personal use, but cost money for commercial purposes. Most of those kinds of fonts are hosted at sites like DaFont. Google Fonts and Font Squirrel are good sources for fonts that are free for both personal and commercial purposes.

[Samuel33849528gw2c]

For me, I don't really care that much about fonts & like I said earlier, it was such a long time ago for me that I believe I maybe have or haven't downloaded a Futura PT font that had it under a personal use license.

[Lumigraphics]

This isn't an Adobe issue. TALK TO A LAWYER if you are worried.

[Bobby Henderson]

Not caring about fonts or not remembering how certain fonts were acquired wouldn't work as any kind of legal defense.

Type design and digital fonts are very unappreciated. Most people enjoy using fonts, but do not see any monetary value in them. It doesn't occur to most people that it might take a soul-crushing amount of time and work to craft a type family that can pass for commercial quality. They download commercially sold fonts for free from questionable web sites or file sharing services. It's very common for people to share fonts a few at a time, emailed person to person, such as fonts being packaged with an InDesign document for a print job. Most of this activity flies under the radar. In a finished graphics design, such as a logo, the live text objects can be converted to outlines. The letter shapes may still be there, but the font data is gone. The same is true if the finished design ends up being a flattened, pixel-based image.

When creating web layouts or posting documents online containing live font data it's important to have those legal ducks in a row concerning licensing. Those web layouts or PDFs posted online are going to be visible to anyone. When in doubt use a similar legally free typeface instead.