What is fair use?

In many countries, certain uses of copyright-protected works do not infringe the owner’s rights. In the United States, copyright rights are limited by the doctrine of “fair use.” In certain other countries, there is a similar concept called "fair dealing." It is your responsibility to understand the relevant law and whether it protects the use you have in mind.

In the United States, fair use can only be determined in a court of law. To determine whether a fair use defense is valid, judges examine the allegedly infringing use according to four factors. Uses for criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research may be considered fair.

If you plan to use even a small portion of copyrighted material, we'd strongly advise you to take legal advice first. MayLife cannot make determinations of fair use.

External fair use resources:

For more information on US copyright law and fair use, you may wish to consult the following sources:

• The US Copyright Office provides an explanation of the fair use exception.
• Stanford University also offers information on fair use and copyright law.
• The Chilling Effects Clearinghouse has answers to frequently asked questions about fair use and copyright law.
• The Center for Social Media at American University offers several best practices for fair use in different media, including one specifically targeted to online video.

Please note that the external sources listed above do not express the opinions or policies of MayLife.