Microsoft, Apple Strike Font Agreement

Microsoft and Apple have renewed an agreement under which Mac users are able to use the core fonts that are part of the Microsoft Windows environment, Microsoft said Thursday.

As a result, Mac users will continue to be able to work with Microsoft fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, and Verdana in print and on screen.

Specific terms of the licensing deal weren't disclosed.

Such cross-licensing agreements allow developers and online publishers to specify certain fonts with the knowledge that they will display correctly regardless of the type of system used by the viewer.

"Apple and Microsoft are extending the seamless Web and software experience Apple users have enjoyed for years when using and viewing popular Microsoft fonts," Microsoft said in a statement.

Fonts specify the style in which a given set of type characters is to be rendered.

Microsoft identifies 12 of its fonts as being "core" to the Internet. They include Courier New, Andale Mono, and Georgia, as well as Times New Roman, Arial, and Verdana. Impact and Trebuchet MS are also on the list.