Can I use "100% free" font to make any company's logo?

Go to the font author's profile and send him/her a PM and inquire about the terms for the use of the font for a logo. If the font author has an email address shown on the font or in a text file that came with the font download, send the font author an email and ask. If there is no way to contact the author via PM or email and she/he has a donate button, click on the button and send the author a donation. If there is no donate button, I believe you can use the font for your logo with a clear conscience.

I disagree, toto@k22. A font with a 100% Free status was designated as such, by the author. If the license terms are clear, there's no need to ask if free means free. Many authors make their fonts 100% free, to avoid inquiries like this. Either it's free, or it's not. If It's free, except when someone wants it for commercial use, then it's free for personal use. Sometimes someone here will upload a 100% free font, and then change the terms, if the font is popular.

That could make for an interesting court debate: Author uploads the font on January 1, as 100% Free, and makes the font Free for personal use on February 1. Someone who downloaded the font between January 1-31 could argue that it is 100% free for them, but free for personal use, for anyone who downloaded February 1 or later. The file creation date from the download might be the crucial evidence. I don't think, in contracts, a fee for performance can be determined after the fact.

Example: A man meets a woman at a night club. She agrees to go home with him. In the morning, she says "By the way, I'm a prostitute. You owe me $1,000 for the overnight date". She wouldn't win the case, even with inept defense counsel. A judge would rule on the point of law. Something like that would never get to the trial stage.

One problem with this is that this is a very new terminology on this site. IIRC this was introduced last year. In my interpretation, Free and 100% Free are not the same. If the font was uploaded here before as Free and was subsequently changed by the site admin to 100% Free without the knowledge of the font author what is its implication? To me the term "100% Free" is synonymous to public domain.

We can talk endlessly about our differing interpretation of the term but will the author accept that. There is no guarantee that the font author will accept whatever is said here. The only person whose interpretation matters is that of the font author and it might be contrary to what was brought forward here.

We are putting at risk here the integrity of the graphic artist or the welfare of his/her client. Although the chance of a lawsuit is negligible, it still exists. What could likely happen is if the author is a kid who took offense at his font being used commercially without his approval and starts a smear campaign on social media against the client. If I were the graphic artist I wouldn't put at risk a client because he did not get the proper permission. And, I believe, that is what the original poster is trying to avoid.

I was wondering the same thing. TY for asking and all the great answers!

toto@k22, LEEMINSUN did specify 100% Free, and put it in quotes. My answer is 100% true, with reference to his specific request.

If LEEMINSUN had just used the more vague term 'Free', your supplemental information would be relevant to this question, and to other questions similar to this one.

It is true that all fonts marked as 100% Free on DaFont have been so designated by the author, at the time of submission, or a subsequent change of license terms. For older fonts, submitted by someone other than the author, where a verified read me doc with license terms is either absent or non existent, the license terms field is left blank. "Free" status is never assumed, unless the author has designated the font as such. The exception is if there is no read me, but the terms of use are clearly stated in the header of the font file, Which Windows, in the infinite wisdom of Microsoft, now longer displays, when the font is opened in preview. If someone has a Vista, 7, or 8 operating system, and there is no read me document included in the .zip, someone might legitimately claim ignorance of the terms of commercial use, and place the liability on Microsoft, for removing the header information, when the font is viewed in preview.

Suppose that a font author uploaded to DaFont, with a read me/license document, and with commercial usage terms specified in the header. A representative of s fly-by-night font download site downloads from DaFont, and offers only the .ttf file, as a download on the fly by night site. Someone downloads from the fly-by-night, and, in the absense of visible evidence to the contrary, assumes that the font is free for all use, because no visible documentation states otherwise. It's very possible that a Judge might rulle in favour of the font author, with Microsoft as the respondent, because Microsoft decided to not display the header information in the preview, which had been plainly visible in Windows XP, and earlier, but not in later Windows operating systems. The burden of proof might fall on Microsoft, to justify the removal of this information, from the display in preview.

At one time, fonts in my Obey[b] dingbat series were listed as [b]free for personal use, but I never intended to receive any income, neither from licensing, nor donation. The read me documents stated that commercial use should be approved by Sheppard Fairey, because the series was based on his artwork. I later became more familiar with fair use International copyright law, and determined that, as long as I was not charging any fee for the commercial use, I could designate the fonts as 100% free. Since Fairey uses the same fair use provision in appropriating images for his street art posters, he would, effectively, convict himself of copyright violation, were he to restrict my right to fairly use his work, in another graphics medium.

Fonts marked as 100% Free on DaFont. Can they be used to create a logo for a company. I normally purchase a license to install a font. No documentation with the font - the 100% free one. Please clarify how to contact the font author have tried emailing no response. The font in question is Retro

If you are referring to this font http://www.dafont.com/retro.font
then you can either send the author a private message http://www.dafont.com/pm/post.php?user=525032
or you can send an email at the email address shown here http://www.dafont.com/profile.php?user=525032

It's so annoying when it says 100% free but it's actually not. Free for this, but not free for that then it's not 100% free. Why not just say free for personal use, but not free for commercial OR Free for both personal and commercial use. Just make it clear, please, authors. I feel like the authors are waiting to sue all the commercial users.

Brilliant response. Don't think that's the answer they were looking for though, lol.