General Counsel Dr. Jan Kaestner joined Monotype as an Intellectual Property (IP), cartel law and unfair commercial practices law specialist and European Legal Counsel in 2008 after the company acquired the German foundry Linotype.

As perhaps the only in-house counsel who had licensed font software (Optima) prior to joining Monotype, Jan brought a unique perspective to the role. Together with the US General Counsel, he built the European legal team based in Germany. Over the ensuing years, Jan took on further operational and strategic roles. In 2021, Jan became Monotype’s General Counsel and today works out of the US headquarters. He is still fascinated by and deeply appreciates the unique creative and legal aspects of the font software business in general, and Monotype and its employees in particular.

Prior to joining Monotype, Jan worked from 2000 to 2007 as inhouse counsel and member of the management board for the Wettbewerbszentrale e.V., an independent, non-profit organization of the German industry that supports companies in self-regulating a fair and functioning market. It covers all sectors and branches of industry and is represented throughout the Federal Republic of Germany. His main responsibilities were E-Commerce and the dissemination of information related to IP and unfair commercial practices.