What Protection for Fonts?

Dalloz Actualité – 27 November 2025
Marianne Gabriel and Justine Carton

Fonts are often freely accessible online, which can make them tempting to use. However, when they are original, these typographic designs may be protected under (french) copyright law (CPI, art. L. 112-2, 8°). Their apparent free availability is therefore only superficial, and unauthorized use could potentially constitute infringement.

That said, copyright protection is not automatic and must meet certain conditions. In which cases should a font be considered original? Who bears the burden of proving its originality? Can a font created using software benefit from copyright protection? These are the questions recently addressed by the Nanterre Judicial Court, which recalled the scope of font protection as established by case law.

Find the commentary on this decision by Marianne Gabriel and Justine Carton on Dalloz Actualité.

This article has been published on Dalloz Actualité, on 27 November 2025. For further information, please go to www.dalloz-actualite.fr.