Information EthicsTopic #6 of 10

Copyright & Fair Use

Legal and ethical use of copyrighted material in academic and creative work.

Copyright

Legal protection for creators of original works. It gives them the right to control how their work is used.

  • Automatic: You don't need to register to have copyright.
  • Public Domain: Works where copyright has expired or been waived.

Fair Use

A legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.

Four Factors of Fair Use

  1. Purpose: Is it transformative? Educational? Non-profit?
  2. Nature: Is the work factual or creative? (Factual is more likely fair use).
  3. Amount: How much of the work did you use? (Small snippets are safer).
  4. Effect: Does your use hurt the market for the original work?