Font Piracy

Blizzard Entertainment is being sued by a Founder Electronics over alleged “font piracy”.

Fonts are pieces of software and like all pieces of software they need to be licensed if you use such fonts without permission you could be infringing the owners’ rights! In fact it has been estimated that the average computer has 300 unauthorised fonts on it.

Blizzard Entertainment are the publishers behind smash computer game hit the “World of Warcraft”, the game has over nine million players across the globe with 3.5 million coming from China alone. Chinese firm Founder Electronics have alleged that Blizzard Entertainment used five of their fonts in the Chinese version of the game without permission.

They claim to have lost $132 million through the unauthorised use of their fonts, yet they are suing for only $13.2 million.

The case is due to be heard in the Beijing Municipal Higher People’s Court.