You can find illicit copies of almost every font online for free if you know where to look. I suspect that puts a bit of a damper on the "generic clones" market

You can find illicit copies of almost every font online for free if you know where to look. I suspect that puts a bit of a damper on the "generic clones" market strategy, since folks who _really_ want a cheaper alternative can get one for free. Also, font companies are big and can threaten legal action, and even the threat of legal action can put people off, even if US law makes the font letter-shapes themselves not copyrightable.