Can you copyright a fontIn the US a typeface design usually cannot be, but font software can be, and licences matter

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

In the US, the visual design of a typeface is generally not protected by copyright, but the font software, the computer code that draws it, can be. Font names can be trade marks, and licences set what you may do. Other countries treat typeface designs differently, so check local rules and the licence before using one.

Design, software and name

The US Copyright Office does not register typeface designs as such, but it can register the computer program that generates a font (Circular 33). Some countries give typeface designs specific protection, and design rights may apply. A font’s name may be a trade mark. Rules differ by country, so ask a lawyer about a particular case.

In practice, what you are allowed to do with a font is often set by its licence, such as limits on embedding, logos or app use.

If you design fonts

Keep your source files, release versions and licence terms. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded. See how to prove I created a song for the same method applied to audio files, and prove a design existed first.

A TimeBind shows a file existed by a recorded time and has not changed since. It does not register copyright or design rights and is not legal advice.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a free font commercially?

Only if its licence allows it. Free to download does not always mean free for commercial use.

Can I copy a font’s style?

In the US a typeface design is generally not protected, but copying the font software or breaking a licence can be a problem. Ask a lawyer.

Can a font name be protected?

A name can sometimes be a trade mark.

Does a timestamp protect my font?

No. It only shows a file existed by a recorded time.

Sources

US Copyright Office, Circular 33: Works not protected by copyright.
TimeBinder, Prove a design or drawing existed first.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.