The Font Licensing Issue You Probably Don’t Know About (Until It’s Too Late)

Fonts. Not something most business owners lose sleep over. But font licensing is one of those overlooked areas where people can unknowingly get into legal trouble—and that’s exactly what happened to one of my clients.

They got an unexpected email from a font company saying a typeface on their website was being used without the proper license. The message gave a three-day deadline to respond—or face legal action.

The initial reaction? Scam alert.....But surprisingly, it was real.

What Actually Happened

The client hadn’t built the website personally—it was created by someone else. And like many designers do, they had used fonts available through Canva. Canva is a great tool, and lots of professionals rely on it. But here’s the catch: not all fonts on Canva are licensed for use outside the Canva platform.

In this situation, the font was originally created in 1923 and is still under copyright, owned by a type foundry in Paris. Despite its age, it’s not in the public domain, and using it outside of proper licensing terms is technically copyright infringement.

To be clear: no one was doing anything shady here. This was a common oversight. Font licensing is a bit of a blind spot in web design—especially when multiple tools and hands are involved.

Why This Stayed Under the Radar

One interesting wrinkle in this situation is that the website had been live for over a year with no issues. So why did the licensing issue suddenly pop up? Because the site had never been indexed by Google.

When I came in to help with some improvements, part of my standard process included optimizing the site and submitting it for indexing. That opened the door for search engines—and licensing bots—to finally find it.

These bots are automated systems used by font companies to detect unauthorized use of their fonts online. The site wasn’t hidden before, but it wasn’t visible either. As soon as it was, it got flagged.

This is a great example of how even standard SEO work—like indexing—can bring unseen issues to the surface. And it shows how important it is to look at both the visible and behind-the-scenes aspects of web design.

A Few Things You Might Not Know About Fonts

If you’re not in the world of web development, this might be new:

• Fonts are licensed like software—you don’t “own” them, you license them.

• “Free” doesn’t always mean free for commercial use.

• Fonts available in Canva might only be licensed for use inside Canva—not for websites or other platforms.

• Ultimately, the business owner is responsible for what’s on their website, even if someone else created it.

How We Fixed It

Once we confirmed the font wasn’t licensed for the site’s use, we swapped it out for a similar typeface that’s 100% free and cleared for commercial use. There are some great resources out there that make this easy:

• Google Fonts – A go-to for clean, modern fonts that are free to use commercially.

• Font Library – Offers a wide variety of open-licensed fonts.

• DaFont.com – This one requires a bit of caution. While it has a huge selection, make sure to use only fonts marked as “Public Domain” or “100% Free”. Each font listing includes licensing info, so double-check before downloading.

  
  

With a similar-looking, properly licensed font in place, the site kept its style—and avoided further legal risk.

The Takeaway

This wasn’t a case of someone cutting corners. It was an honest mistake—and one that happens more often than you’d think. Font licensing tends to fall through the cracks, especially when projects get passed from one person to another.

If you’ve got a website—especially one built a while ago or by someone else—it’s worth taking a closer look at the details. Things like font licensing, image rights, and SEO settings might not be on your radar, but they can have a big impact.

Not Sure About Your Fonts?

If you’re unsure whether the fonts on your site are licensed correctly, I can help. Quick audit, no pressure—just a little peace of mind that everything’s good to go as your business grows.

Just Email me jon@delcaromedia.com