NorFonts licenses its fonts under clear terms designed to protect the font software while allowing musicians, engravers, arrangers, designers, publishers, educators, and organizations to use NorFonts fonts in creative, educational, and professional work.
This page summarizes the main licensing rules, including the Standard End User License Agreement (EULA), multi-user licensing, extended licenses, installation limits, document embedding, application use, logo use, and returns.
Standard End User License Agreement
The NorFonts End User License Agreement (EULA) is the legal agreement governing the use of NorFonts font software.
When you purchase a NorFonts font, you acquire a license to use the font software; ownership of the font software itself is not transferred. NorFonts retains all copyrights and intellectual property rights in the font software.
The Standard EULA sets out the permitted and prohibited uses of NorFonts fonts, including installation, commercial use, embedding, modification, redistribution, and third-party use.
View the NorFonts Standard EULA (PDF)
Multi-User Licensing
The Standard NorFonts License is designed for one individual user.
If multiple people within the same company, publishing house, music preparation studio, school, university, or other organization need to install or use NorFonts fonts, a multi-user license may be available.
Interested in a multi-user license? contact NorFonts.
Multi-user licensing is handled individually according to the number of users, the fonts required, and the intended use. There are no standard educational or institutional license tiers.
Extended Licenses
NorFonts offers licensing options beyond the standard desktop/print license for certain uses.
Depending on how you intend to use the font software, an additional or separate license may be required for web fonts, eBooks, mobile applications, commercial software, hardware products, embedded systems, or other forms of font embedding and distribution.
Extended licensing options, including Print + Web licensing, may be available depending on the font, product, and intended use.
If you are unsure which license applies to your project, please contact NorFonts before purchasing.
License Holder
A Standard NorFonts License covers one individual user. That licensed user may install and use the font software on the devices permitted by the Standard EULA.
If a company or other organization purchases a Standard License, it must designate one individual user who will install and use the font software.
For example, if you are a graphic designer, music engraver, arranger, or other professional creating work for a client, the license normally belongs to you as the person installing and using the font software.
If your client or another person also needs to install or use the NorFonts font software, that person must obtain a separate license unless covered by an approved written NorFonts multi-user license.
Installation Limits
A Standard NorFonts License permits the licensed user to install and use the licensed font on up to four (4) devices primarily used or controlled by that user.
The four-device allowance applies to one user; it does not permit four different people to use the font.
Installation on a network, server, or shared storage location is permitted only where access to the font software is restricted to the licensed user and does not make the font available for use by others.
If more than one person needs to install or use a NorFonts font, please contact NorFonts about a multi-user license.
No Time Limit for Standard Licenses
A Standard NorFonts License is generally perpetual and may continue to be used indefinitely, provided that the license terms are respected and the applicable operating system, notation software, design software, or other application continues to support the font.
Specially negotiated multi-user, subscription, evaluation, or extended licenses may have a specific duration. Where applicable, the license period will be stated in the corresponding License Certificate, order, invoice, quotation, or agreement.
PDF and Document Embedding
You may embed licensed NorFonts fonts in electronic documents such as PDF files for viewing and printing, provided that the font software cannot be extracted and independently reused by the recipient.
PDF scores, printed music, graphics, video images, and other non-extractable finished output created using properly licensed NorFonts fonts may be distributed without additional NorFonts licensing fees.
Editable notation, design, or source files may also be shared. However, any recipient who needs to install or use the NorFonts font software in order to view, edit, or continue working with those files must be covered by a valid license.
SMuFL Fonts and Music Notation Software
NorFonts SMuFL music fonts are designed for use with compatible music notation applications that support the SMuFL standard.
A NorFonts font license covers the font software itself. It does not include or replace any license required for third-party notation software such as Dorico, Sibelius, Finale, MuseScore, or other applications.
Scores, parts, lead sheets, arrangements, educational materials, publications, and other works created using properly licensed NorFonts fonts remain the property of their respective creators.
Commercial Application & Software Embedding Licenses
NorFonts offers dedicated commercial licensing for developers, music publishers, educational platforms and organizations wishing to integrate NorFonts fonts or reusable glyph resources into software products. A separate written Commercial Application License is required for these uses; a Standard License does not automatically include software distribution rights.
When is an application license required?
Separate authorization is required when NorFonts font software or reusable font resources are packaged, embedded, hosted for software use, or distributed with desktop or mobile applications, notation or score-reading software, plugins, games, downloadable templates, hardware, web applications, or comparable digital services. This applies to macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, Android and other operating systems.
The requirement applies to original OTF/TTF font files and reusable converted or extracted resources, including complete or substantial SVG glyph collections, vector or bitmap glyph libraries, SMuFL metadata, XML mappings or similar resources intended for repeated font-like rendering. It applies even if the original font file is not bundled and the end user cannot separately install the font.
SMuFL fonts and music notation applications
Project-specific licenses may authorize the integration of NorFonts music notation fonts into score-rendering engines and interactive notation interfaces, conversion to SVG outlines and agreed metadata formats, and distribution of authorized font assets within identified applications and platforms. Font conversion and technical preparation services may be quoted separately or combined with a license.
Compatibility with Verovio or another third-party engraving or rendering engine, testing, application integration and maintenance are not guaranteed or included unless expressly stated in the technical scope of a separate agreement.
Flexible terms and protection of font assets
License terms and fees depend on the font family, application, intended distribution, supported platforms, volume and technical requirements. NorFonts may offer multi-platform, fixed-term or perpetual arrangements, including one-time fees without royalties or per-download charges, where expressly agreed in writing. No single publicly advertised fee applies to every software project.
All ownership and intellectual property rights in NorFonts font designs and reusable font assets remain with NorFonts or the relevant rights holders. Unless specifically authorized, application licensees may not separately sell, sublicense, publish or redistribute the fonts, converted glyph libraries or derivative font packages.
Standard License vs. Commercial Application License
The Standard License continues to permit the creation and distribution of finished musical scores, printed publications, PDFs, logos, illustrations and other permitted creative works. Converting individual glyphs to outlines as part of finished artwork does not itself require an application license. The distinction is finished creative output versus reusable font assets made available for software functionality or distribution.
A separately executed commercial agreement takes precedence over conflicting Standard License restrictions only for the uses it expressly authorizes. Previously granted licenses are not automatically amended by updates to this page.
Request a commercial quote: contact NorFonts with the font family, application type, supported operating systems, distribution approach and technical conversion needs, or email contact@norfont.com.
Logo Usage
NorFonts fonts may be used to create logos and visual identities under a valid license.
When delivering a final logo to a client, we recommend converting the lettering to vector outlines. This preserves the intended appearance of the logo and avoids requiring the client to install the original font software simply to use the completed artwork.
If the client wishes to install and use the NorFonts font itself for additional design work, the client must obtain an appropriate NorFonts license.
Font Modification and Redistribution
You may convert characters or glyphs from a licensed NorFonts font into vector outlines and modify those outlines as part of finished creative works, such as a musical score, logo, illustration or publication.
That permission does not authorize distribution of a complete or substantial reusable font-like collection of glyph outlines, SVG files, mappings or associated metadata as an application resource. Such use requires a separate written Commercial Application & Software Embedding License, as explained above.
Without prior written authorization, you may not modify, adapt, translate, decompile, reverse engineer, rename, repackage, create derivative font software from, resell, sublicense, share, upload or redistribute the original NorFonts Font Software. Unauthorized copying, resale, sublicensing or redistribution remains prohibited.
Returns and Refunds
Because NorFonts products are digital products delivered electronically and cannot practically be returned once supplied, purchases are generally final and non-refundable, except where otherwise required by applicable law.
Please verify software compatibility and product requirements before purchasing. If you have questions about compatibility or licensing, please contact NorFonts before placing your order.
Questions About Licensing?
If your intended use is not covered above, or if you require a multi-user, publishing, software, application, web, or other special license, please contact NorFonts.
We will be happy to help determine the appropriate NorFonts license for your project or organization.