How to Add a Trademark Notice in FontForge

Adding a trademark notice to your font ensures that your brand identity, font family name, and unique stylistic titles are legally associated with your ownership. In FontForge, this metadata is embedded directly into the font's internal naming tables, which operating systems and design software read upon installation. This guide walks you through navigating the Font Info settings, locating the Trademark string field, formatting the proper legal text, and generating the protected font file.

Step 1: Open Your Font in FontForge

  1. Launch FontForge.
  2. Go to File > Open and select your font file (such as .sfd, .ttf, or .otf).

Step 2: Open the Font Info Window

  1. Click on the Element menu from the top navigation bar.
  2. Select Font Info from the drop-down menu (or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + F on Windows/Linux or Cmd + Shift + F on macOS).

Step 3: Navigate to the TTF Names Section

  1. In the sidebar on the left side of the Font Info dialog, click on TTF Names.
  2. This tab controls the OpenType and TrueType name table entries embedded in your final font.

Step 4: Locate or Add the Trademark Field

  1. Look through the list of name strings in the right pane for the Trademark entry (OpenType Name ID 7).
  2. If the field is already listed, double-click the string value next to it to edit the text.
  3. If the field is not present:
    • Click the Append or Add button at the bottom of the list.
    • Set the language to English (US) (or your target locale).
    • Set the Name Type to Trademark.

Step 5: Enter Your Trademark Statement

Type your formal trademark claim into the string field. Follow standard legal formatting, such as:

  • [Font Name] is a trademark of [Your Name or Company Name].
  • [Font Name]™ is a registered trademark of [Your Company Name], Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.

Ensure you do not confuse the Trademark field with the Copyright field (Name ID 0). The Copyright field protects the font software code and design, whereas the Trademark field protects the brand and font name.

Step 6: Save and Generate the Font

  1. Click OK at the bottom of the Font Info window to commit your changes.
  2. Save your working project by navigating to File > Save.
  3. Export the compiled font by going to File > Generate Fonts..., choosing your preferred format (e.g., OpenType CFF or TrueType), and clicking Generate.

The resulting font binary will now carry your embedded trademark notice across all supporting platforms and font inspection tools.