F is for Fair Use

Greetings, A-Zers! It’s day 06 of the 2015 A-Z blog challenge, and my theme is “The Business of Writing: A Glossary”. I know everyone is busy making rounds this month, so I’ve done my best to keep each post informative and to-the-point. :) Today’s letter is:

F is for Fair Use

Definition: “The "Fair Use" doctrine allows limited copying of copyrighted works for educational and research purposes.” - CopyrightKids.org

“Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair.

1.      The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes

2.      The nature of the copyrighted work

3.      The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole

4.      The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work” - Copyright.gov

Put to Use

An example of this lies in today’s definition. Our quote from CopyrightKids.org should be considered fair use, based on a number of factors. For example:

• The excerpt is brief, factual, and does not detract from the original article’s value
• It was used for non-commercial, teaching purposes

Note: There are no definitive rules—the acceptable length of a quote, for example—with Fair Use. There are no guarantees, either. Everything is on a case-by-case basis, so be careful out there.

What about the longer excerpt from Copyright.gov, you ask? Thankfully, government guidelines are public domain. We live to learn another day! :)

This is not legal advice, obviously.

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Question of the Day

Does this stuff freak you out (like it does me)?