Some people are acting like Nintendo's custom Mario typeface is going to disappear because of this. No - Nintendo holds the full rights to this typeface, not Fontworks/Monotype.

What it might mean, is that live-service games that used the subscription model might be impacted. Also any re-releases of older games might have their fonts switched out if Monotype Japan does more than end LETS and increase general customer pricing.

MBC! I remember watching movies on MBC. Almost tried to get a job with them back in Dubai before I graduated.

Living in Japan, I hold out hope that one day Japan’s regional minority languages will also be afforded more recognition and support, but I feel like that is still a while off from happening.
(Aside from the limited recognition and support that Ainu recently obtained)

Last time I was in Nibutani I had dinner with Koichi-san.
I haven't really spoken to him much about his views for an independent Ainu future but he's asked me before if I want independence for Scotland. I answered that "If we can get some people in charge who aren't idiots, then perhaps".

Nomura Giichi said something similar when making a speech at the United Nations in 1992 - that they wish to seek a "high level of automony based on our fundamental values of 'coexistence with nature' and 'peace through negotiation.'".
This could potentially be a model for Okinawa/Ryukyu as well.

Monotype left Fontworks mostly alone for two years after their acquisition but then it all started going downhill pretty rapidly earlier this year.

Monotype has been run by private for years and has a history of buying foundries for their IP before hollowing them out and firing all their staff.
I saw this coming when they announced their acquisition of Fontworks but sadly many in the industry in Japan took a more naïve view of things.

They’ve been controlled by a private equity firm since 2019 and this has resulted in them buying up foundries left and right to extract value in any way they can from the mass of IP they’ve come to own.

I think a lot of people in Japan took a naïve approach to Monotype - especially when the company claimed that they would leave Fontworks to do its own thing. I saw right through that. I felt bad when I said “told you so” to people here.

Next step is the hollowing out of Fontworks’ staff.

This story ends up echoing somewhat in a later part of the series when House ends up in prison and is made to work as a prison janitor, where he attempts to advise/intervene in cases in the prison clinic/sick bay while on cleaning duties.