Fair Use of Copyrights
Fair use is the section of the copyright code that allows someone to use copyrighted works in ways that would not otherwise be allowed under copyright laws, saving some people from litigation.
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Copyrighted Works
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A work is copyrighted as soon as it is created, whether the creator applies for a copyright or not.
Term of Copyright
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A copyright is good for 70 years after the creator's death unless a work was a work-for-hire. In that case, a work is copyrighted for 90 years after publication or 120 years after creation, whichever is sooner. If a work falls outside of this time period, copyright no longer applies and fair use is irrelevant.
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Fair Use in Education
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Instructors can claim fair use in, for example, using film from a televised sports game in a presentation or photocopying small excerpts from books for class assignments.
Criticism
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Some parts of copyrighted works might be used in critical essays. For example, a book cover might be used as artwork in a review of that book or a song clip might be used in a review of a CD.
Personal Use
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This is a largely undefined section of copyright law, but it shields someone from litigation if, for example, she were to record an audio CD onto a cassette to play in her car. But it would not shield her from litigation if she were to make multiple copies and distribute them to her friends even if she did not charge her friends for the copies.
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References
- Photo Credit Mike Blog
