EULA

From Fontlab Wiki

The EULA, short for End User License Agreement, is what customers agree to before buying digital fonts, and typically specifies the conditions under which the font software may be used. Usually the customer is reminded that he is licensing the software, and does not own it.

It is a legal document, and major foundries hire lawyers to prepare them. Smaller foundries typically copy existing EULAs, unless they have particular experiences with customers they wish not to repeat.

There is some debate about to what extent font customer are bound by the terms in a EULA. For example, in some countries certain portions may not apply due to conflicts with local laws. In some parts of Europe, purchases of software, particularly by private citizens rather than corporations, are not regarded as pure licensing agreements; the customer still has the protection given to buyers of physical products, such as the right to return the goods if faulty, the right to re-sell, and possibly the right to modify.

The article The Case for a User-Friendly EULA by Tiffany Wardle (Interrobang 2, 2004) sums up the irritation felt by many font customers towards EULAs.