명령어가 빠져나간 폰트 파일 - 폰트 저작권 보호, 프로그램저작물에서 응용미술저작물로

The emergence of Signed Distance Field (SDF) font technology has revealed a structural gap in copyright protection. Previous legal precedents have classified font files as “computer program works,” but this technology-oriented interpretation—based on the assumption of “internalized commands”—fails to reflect the essential nature of fonts as visual expressions. In particular, SDF fonts consist not of program code containing internal commands, but of static data such as texture atlases interpreted by external shader programs; thus, the file lacks internalized instructions. As a result, their creative elements cannot be fully encompassed within the existing doctrine governing computer program works. This study proposes re-evaluating font designs as “applied art works,” shifting the center of protection from technical files to visual design. Such an approach better aligns the legal framework with the visual and aesthetic value of fonts and corresponds with the legislative intent of the 2011 amendment to the Copyright Act. While this transition may exclude fonts that fail to meet the “minimum standard of creativity,” potentially imposing an industrial burden, it also promotes qualitative advancement by encouraging original design. Protecting font designs as applied art works, therefore, provides a more fundamental and sustainable solution—establishing a protection system resilient to technological change and fostering the creative growth of the font design industry.