Fair Use is the part of U.S. copyright law (United States Code, Section 107) that allows limited use of copyrighted material without getting permission, especially for teaching, research, commentary, and criticism.
Whether a use qualifies depends on four key factors (below). You must consider all four—there’s no automatic rule. Fair Use is flexible, but not guaranteed. For legal advice regarding Fair Use, contact the Office of Legal Affairs.
Factor | What It Means | Favors Fair Use? |
---|---|---|
🎯 Purpose | Is the use for non-commercial education, research, or commentary? | ✅ Yes |
📚 Nature of the Work | Is the work factual (like a news article) rather than creative (like a novel)? | ✅ Yes |
📏 Amount | Are you using a small portion or only what’s needed for your purpose? | ✅ Short excerpts |
💸 Effect | Does the use avoid replacing sales or harming the market for the original? | ✅ Yes |
✅ Likely Fair Use | ⚠️ Maybe Fair Use | ❌ Unlikely Fair Use |
---|---|---|
Showing a short video clip in class | Scanning 1 chapter to post in Canvas | Uploading the entire textbook to Canvas |
Using a single image in a class presentation | Using a longer excerpt from a recent article | Uploading a full movie to a public website |
Quoting a few lines from a poem in a research paper | Using copyrighted music in a student film | Sharing licensed articles with the public |
These are guidelines, not hard rules. Always consider context!