Fair use is a concept embedded in U.S. law that recognizes that certain uses of copyright-protected works do not require permission from the copyright holder. (See Title 17, section 107)
What Determines Fair Use?
The following four factors are used to determine if a use is fair:
- The purpose of the use (eg. commercial vs. educational)*
- The nature of the copyrighted work
- The amount of the material used (the greater the amount copied, the less likely it is fair use)
- The effect of use on the potential market for or value of the work
*Not all uses in an academic context are automatically considered fair use!