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What is Fair Use?

The concept of Fair Use allows some 'running room' for educators, reviewers, reporters, researchers, and satirists who wish to use copyrighted materials as part of their work.

For educational purposes, if the use of the copyrighted materials is relevant to the lesson, part of classroom instruction, and not broadcast or published for general consumption you are most likely protected by fair use. Most of the time copying is not legally a fair use. Unless you have the author's explicit permission, copying usually violates the author's copyright. Some of the time Fair Use applies.

 

Graphic of caliper symbolizing measurement of fair use

General Rules: The More You Use, the Less Fair Your Use Is Likely to Be!

  • Limit of 2 years on using materials in a multimedia teaching project
  • Limit of 10% or 3 min of motion media, which ever is less
  • Limit of 10% or 1000 words text, which ever is less
  • Use no more than 3 poems by 1 poet or 5 poets from 1 anthology, up to 250 words from a poem
  • Limit of 10% or 30 sec music from single musical work, can not substantially change music
  • Whole image but no more than 5 by 1 artist or photographer
  • Limit of 10% or 15 images single published work, which ever is less
  • Limit of 10% or 2500 fields or cells from a database or data table, which ever is less
  • No more than 2 copies of a project plus one back up not in use
  • Each creator can have 1 copy if multiple creators

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Authored by Lora K. Kaisler and Dennis O'Connor