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Adobe Reader comes bundled with an open type version of Minion Pro, Myriad Pro and some other fonts.

What is the license status with these fonts? Can they be used freely?

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    This looks off-topic to me: it's not about TeX directly, and it's not really likely to be covered by the expertise available here.
    – Joseph Wright ♦
    Commented May 6, 2011 at 9:58
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    Related: typophile.com/node/14079 (pointed out by henrique)
    – doncherry
    Commented Jun 19, 2013 at 17:16
  • I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is about a legal issue.
    – Joseph Wright ♦
    Commented Jan 23, 2015 at 22:52
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    A more relevant question has been opened here.
    – Sverre
    Commented Jul 24, 2015 at 10:50

2 Answers 2

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The fonts distributed with Adobe Reader or Adobe Reader font packs has the following license:

The font software contained in this package is being licensed to you solely for use with the Adobe Reader product ("Adobe Reader") subject to the terms and conditions of the Electronic End User License Agreement accompanying the Adobe Reader.

So, short answer is no, you cannot use them for anything else, and the above answer is IMO wrong.

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    I grepped the Licence.txt file that came with my Adobe Reader 9 and didn't find such a paragraph. Where did it came from?
    – mbork
    Commented Apr 24, 2014 at 23:17
  • While I can find all other quotes on this site in Reader_11.0.pdf resp. License.html I cannot find yours. I'm pretty sure it is at least allowed to embed this font if you don't publish the file e.g. using it in a thesis which won't be published.
    – user49121
    Commented Dec 23, 2014 at 14:43
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The Adobe Reader X EULA applies to fonts distributed with the package. It is specifically said that you may use the software (which includes the fonts) and usage means to access, copy or otherwise benefit from the software.

So if you download the Adobe Reader, you are allowed to use the fonts to typeset a document, include them in the resulting PDF file and print. Reasonably speaking, you may as well redistribute the document as the Adobe Reader including the fonts is freely available.

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  • Why would you buy the font then?
    – Ingo
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 17:04
  • @tehingo, the commercial version includes more font types/features (semi-bold versions etc).
    – pmav99
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 18:15
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    Although I agree with the first part of your answer, that you are allowed to use the font, you second paragraph is I think wrong. It states clearly in 3.3 Distribution. This license does not grant you the right to sublicense or distribute the Software. Even if you can use the font for your documents, you cannot distribute them with the font embedded in them.
    – ArTourter
    Commented Mar 22, 2012 at 11:18
  • @ArTourter: I am certainly not an expert in these issues, but on Adobe's page about embedding permissions, Myriad and Minion are explicitly named as having full permissions: adobe.com/type/browser/legal/additional_licenses.html Or does this apply only for the bought versions?
    – NauC
    Commented Mar 17, 2013 at 19:30
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    @ArTourter Thanks for the clarification. But the problem, in my opinion, is that you equate distribution with embedding in a PDF file. Even if you purchase the licence of a font, this doesn't grant you the right to distribute it, while embedding can – e.g. for the fonts specified in my link – be allowed. So as far as I understand it, the section 3.3 that you referenced does not explicitly pertain to font embedding.
    – NauC
    Commented Mar 19, 2013 at 14:19

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