The whole font licensing situation is out of control. It's a mix of creative interpretations of the law and rent-seeking on typeface designs that are a hundred

The whole font licensing situation is out of control. It's a mix of creative interpretations of the law and rent-seeking on typeface designs that are a hundred years old (Akzidenz Grotesk, the basis for every Helvetica-like), or 300 years old in the case of Caslon. Remember that in a lot of countries (the US included) typefaces are specifically excluded from being copyrightable due to their usefulness to the public; they can of course, be trademarked, but it's completely legal to trace any font you like and call it something else. In a nice bit of corporate welfare, it was decided that font files fall under copyright in 1992.