: I want to use Helvetica Neue in my Android application. Where do I buy the appropriate license? I'm having a heck of a time getting a straight answer for this. Hope somebody here can help!

@Courtney577

The .ttf file itself is what guides your usage. That is the font.

A jpeg of the text is a static image. which you do not need a license because no one can own a letter shape. However the font file as the OP is asking about is what th license will cost to ship Monotype's font IP

Taking the font file off of your computer and putting it in an app on a server; steaming it with @font face or in a car will require a license.

Some are paid up some are royalty bearing.

They do offer cheaper ones online, but you get no warranty or indemnification so a lawsuit (in the event you use it outside of the license) is all on you and Monotype/Linotype will no step in to fend off the suit.

Open source is greta until you get big and make money. That k license fee is cheaper than legal fees.

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@Kristi927

Font foundries typically license their fonts under either a "Desktop" license, or a "Web font" license. The desktop license only allows you to use the font on your own computer (or, a certain number, such as 5, computers your own). You may not embed it in an application or document that you are selling/giving out, even if it has been converted into another format.

The web license is intended for letting you embed the font in a website and distribute it, but usually only on said website, though its definitions might extend to an Android app, but they also might not - you'll actually have to read the license. Thankfully, font licenses aren't usually impossibly difficult to read. Typically there are terms in it that are relatively specific about what kind of embedding you're allowed to do, what formats and mediums, and how many (for instance, how many visitors per month your site gets).

I suspect that you may have to contact the font foundry directly to obtain a license or make your enquiry.

You may well find that licensing such a big name font as Helvetica Neue is going to be too expensive to justify it.

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@Radia289

The font itself (with its variants) can be bought from Linotype. Font licences change depending on the foundry, and also depending on use. You will for sure need to buy at least one license for commercial use. But as always with font licensing, it's best to ask the foundry directly, as each one is different.

From softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/102925/using-fonts-in-your-applications:

"If you bundle a font with your app, you have to take care to comply
with any license terms under which that font is published. If you buy
a font for personal use from Adobe, you are not license to
redistribute it (...) You will only need to obtain patent licenses if
you yourself provide the code that translates a font's data file into
a screen glyph. If you are using the type rendering engine that is
built into your mobile device's operating system then you don't need
to worry about the patents."


That being said, if you need a free font, an excellent alternative is Liberation Sans.

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