Copyright Office

Fair Use

Fair Use

  • Certain copyright-protected works do not require permission from the copyright holder because the use does not interfere with the holder’s exclusive rights to reproduce and reuse the works. Reference
     
  • Copyright-protected works can be used for commentary, criticism, parody, news reporting, research, scholarship, and education. When in doubt, ask permission from copyright holder. Reference
     
  • Consider the following four factors when claiming fair use:
  1. Purpose and character – for nonprofit educational purpose rather than commercial use; small portions for critical analysis rather than. slavish copying
     
  2. Nature – factual works, rather than scientific articles or. full music score
     
  3. Amount and substantiality of portion in relation to whole copyright-protected work  - the less the better, but if it is the “heart” of the work it may still be considered too much.
     
  4. Market - Effect of use on potential market or value of copyright-protected work

    Reference
     
  • Checklist for Fair Use 
     
  • Multimedia – For the educational use of copyrighted works in multimedia go to form for Multimedia Sources. See also the Fair Use Table

Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia

Fair Use Table