The terms 'font' and 'typeface' essentially
refer to two similar concepts in the sense that a typeface is the
specific presentation or design of letters and numbers, and a font
refers to the various factors such as size, colour and style that
are variable to the typeface. The difference between the two are
therefore technical in nature and the terms are sometimes used
interchangeably.
The relevance of fonts and typefaces under the Copyright and
other allied laws needs to be studied in reference to Section 2(c)
of the Copyright Act, 1957 which defines "artistic work"
as (i) a painting, a
sculpture, a drawing (including a diagram, map, chart or plan), an
engraving or a photograph, whether or not any such work possesses
artistic quality; (ii) a work
of architecture; and (iii) any
other work of artistic craftsmanship.
