software licensing
Do I need a server license to allow users to generate reports using proprietary fonts from my software?
<p>I'm a developer working on a web based SaaS application that my clients use to generate reports to send to their own customers - my clients get paid to produce these reports.</p>
<p>I have a client that requires the use of the Arial font in their reports in accordance with their style guide.</p>
<p>I know that I can display Arial in browser-based text editors without including the font-face by referencing the font already on the user's PC, so I don't think I have any licensing issues there.
However, I'm unsure of the licensing requirements around generating a PDF for them that they will then send to their clients.</p>
<p>They pay us per user per month to use our software, not per report, and report generation is only one small part of the value we provide to them. However, the report generation is done on our server (Linux/Ubuntu), so we'd need to install the fonts there for our customers to be able to use them.</p>
<p>We do not redistrubute the font files themselves, only documents made using the font.</p>
<p>I'm having issues deciphering when a license is required for me to use a font and when it isn't, and I can't find any results that relate to my specific circumstance.</p>
<p>Do I need to purchase a server license to use Arial to generate their reports?</p>

<p>Taking for granted that you are operating a Windows server and making use of the included Arial TrueType font, the relevant license is <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/arial#licensing-and-redistribution-info" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/arial#licensing-and-redistribution-info</a> , which links to <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/fonts/font-faq" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/fonts/font-faq</a>.  Highly relevant to your question is the document embedding section of <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/fonts/font-faq#document-embedding" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/fonts/font-faq#document-embedding</a> , which states:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>When can I use document embedding?</strong></p>
<p>The brief answer: If an application follows the rules and restrictions
defined in the OpenType or TrueType specification, you can use it to
embed Windows supplied fonts in any document file it creates. For
example, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint follow the rules and
restrictions, so you can use these applications to create documents
(such as Word documents, PowerPoint decks and PDFs) that include
embedded fonts.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>On my machine, Arial is marked as &quot;Font embeddability: editable&quot;, but you should check your own copy of the font in case your OS has different settings.  Compatible PDF creation libraries may respect or ignore this setting; the latter case may result in licensing problems.</p>
<p><strong>In summary</strong>: Your existing operating system license may include a license for purposes of document-embedding, on condition that you embed the font in a manner compliant with the license.  In this scenario, a separate server license may not be necessary.</p>
