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In the case of Google fonts, is it legally possible to download the font and serve it from one's own server? The FAQ has a relevant section, but does not answer

In the case of Google fonts, is it legally possible to download the font and serve it from one's own server? The FAQ has a relevant section, but does not answer this question: https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq

pmlnr 10y ago
As far as I'm aware, the fonts on Google are just fonts, not owned by Google. Example: https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/playfair-display https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/playfair-display Playfair Display - "Copyright (c) 2010-2012 by Claus Eggers Sørensen (es@forthehearts.net), with Reserved Font Name 'Playfair'" in the SIL licence right next to the font files. Therefore yes, you should be able to download them, and use them, according to the original licence. ( Which, by the way, usually required the font creator to be credited, which Google only does when you select it, but not in the served CSSs, which I believe, is not fair. )
wanda 10y ago
IANAL but they would not appear to be able to construct a case against you for using the fonts on your own server, since at no point is it stated that such a practice would be in violation of the terms of use. As you observe, they do not explicitly answer the question, but their reticence should be taken as an implicit green light, encased in a warning about loading times. Most Google fonts are merely served from their hardware, and not created by them, so the license selected by the font's creator applies. Think of Google Fonts as an aggregator of free-to-use fonts. There is also a list of fonts and their licenses available from Google Fonts here: https://fonts.google.com/attribution https://fonts.google.com/attribution If you're really concerned, check who created the font and see if they make the font available under a permissive license on their own website. Lato, for instance, is available from its creator's website and is published under the Open Font License.

pmlnr 10y ago

As far as I'm aware, the fonts on Google are just fonts, not owned by Google. Example: https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/playfair-display https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/playfair-display Playfair Display - "Copyright (c) 2010-2012 by Claus Eggers Sørensen (es@forthehearts.net), with Reserved Font Name 'Playfair'" in the SIL licence right next to the font files. Therefore yes, you should be able to download them, and use them, according to the original licence. ( Which, by the way, usually required the font creator to be credited, which Google only does when you select it, but not in the served CSSs, which I believe, is not fair. )

wanda 10y ago

IANAL but they would not appear to be able to construct a case against you for using the fonts on your own server, since at no point is it stated that such a practice would be in violation of the terms of use. As you observe, they do not explicitly answer the question, but their reticence should be taken as an implicit green light, encased in a warning about loading times. Most Google fonts are merely served from their hardware, and not created by them, so the license selected by the font's creator applies. Think of Google Fonts as an aggregator of free-to-use fonts. There is also a list of fonts and their licenses available from Google Fonts here: https://fonts.google.com/attribution https://fonts.google.com/attribution If you're really concerned, check who created the font and see if they make the font available under a permissive license on their own website. Lato, for instance, is available from its creator's website and is published under the Open Font License.