14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft once again needs to deal with the long arm of the law, this time after being accused of illegally using a Hebrew type font without permission in Windows and Office.
A lawsuit filed against Microsoft at a Lod District Court claims that Redmond has used the font called Guttman Hodes and Monotype Hadassah without authorization, with the daughter of the creator now seeking damages from the company.
According to Haaretz, the font was created more than 70 years ago by artist Henry Friedlander who started work on the new design in the Netherlands, where he was hiding from the Nazi. He completed the design in 1958 and called the font “Hadassah.”
Hannah Tal, Friedlander’s daughter, claims that Microsoft uses the font without authorization, as his father transferred her all rights over his creation before dying in 1996 at the age of 92.
“Hadassah is a special, precious, and festive font, an original work of art, praised by experts as groundbreaking in terms of design and style. The Hadassah font is based on extensive historical research into the shapes and development of Hebrew letters,” she said in the court papers according to the same source.
“Saying that Friedlander would turn over in his grave if he knew what was done to his work is not an exaggeration at all.”
Microsoft has quickly issued a statement, claiming that the company infringes no right, as Friedlander has actually transferred the rights over the fonts to a foundry in the Netherlands in 1950. Third-parties that purchased the license then sold it to Microsoft years later, so the company can freely use the fonts in its software.
“The late Friedlander never made any claims during his life about the widespread use of the Hadassah font. On the contrary, he expressed satisfaction that the font was so widely spread by the Dutch printing house,” the company explained.