Font licensing: SIL OFL & Creative Commons
What you can and can’t do with open fonts, in plain language — bundling, modifying and selling.
“Open font” usually means a typeface released under the SIL Open Font License (OFL) — a license written specifically for fonts. Knowing what it permits saves you from accidental misuse.
What the SIL OFL allows
Under the OFL you can use the font for anything — personal or commercial — embed it in documents and apps, and even modify it. The main conditions are simple:
- You may not sell the font by itself (bundling it inside a larger product is fine).
- Modified versions must not use the original Reserved Font Name.
- Derivatives stay under the OFL — the openness carries forward.
Where Creative Commons fits
Some type and lettering is shared under Creative Commons instead. CC licenses are general-purpose, so read the variant: CC BY needs attribution, while CC BY-SA also requires share-alike. CC0 places work in the public domain.
A quick reuse checklist
Before shipping, confirm the exact license file that ships with the font, keep attribution where required, and never resell an open font on its own. When that’s clear, open fonts are some of the most flexible assets you can build with.