Manipulating fonts legally

[Ronald]

The company I work for has been using fonts for many years. Now we outsource to another location that doesn't have the same font licenses, which is frustrating, especially when it comes to branding/logos.

Certain fonts, when manipulated, can look nearly identical to the unlicensed fonts (for example, modifying a Futura to look like a Century Gothic). But I'm confused as to how this works legally. Adjusting vertically and horizontally, as well as the stroke, can make them virtually identical. Taking it a step further and converting to outlines and making a few specific tweaks to the anchor points of individual letters makes them one and the same. So where do you draw the line?