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Copyright

What is Fair Use?

Fair use is the legal concept that permits the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works under certain circumstances.

 

What are examples of types of fair use?

  • Criticism
  • Comment
  • News reporting
  • Teaching
  • Scholarship
  • Research

 

What are the factors involved in determining fair use?

  1. Purpose and character of the use, including whether the use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes. 
  2. Nature of the copyrighted work. 
  3. Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole. 
  4. Effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyright work. 

 

Are there any resources to help determine if a use might be fair?

The Fair Use Evaluator provides a helpful step by step process to determine if a use is fair.