An Austrian lawyer, Marcus Hohenecker, has received criticism for sending out thousands of warnings to website operators for using Google Fonts without permission. Hohenecker claims to have received the standard hourly rate for his work, but it has been revealed that each person affected was also required to pay a fee of €90, in addition to the €100 in damages for his client. If everyone who received a warning were to pay this fee, Hohenecker would have collected approximately €2.97 million. This has led to accusations that the warnings were part of a shaky business model, which targeted bloggers and small businesses who had integrated Google fonts into their websites without saving them locally.
The case has been referred to the Austrian Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office since it involves potentially more than €5 million in damages. Furthermore, Hohenecker has been accused of acting fraudulently and retrieving pages by machine, which led to severe discomfort for his client. This case highlights the problematic nature of mass warnings and the potential for abuse in the industry. It also draws attention to the need for greater clarity on data protection laws regarding the use of Google Fonts and other technologies.
