Understanding Fair Use Access
Fair Use is a statutory exception to the copyright holder's bundle of exclusive rights. It allows for the unlicensed (that is, without permission or payment of royalty) use of a copyrighted work where the balance of several factors weighs in favor of such use.
- Fair Use BasicsColumbia University Libraries Fair Use basics
- Fair Use Four FactorsBoston College Libraries copyright basics
- Fair Use GuideHarvard Library Office of Scholarly Communication Fair Use Guide
- The Good News about Library Fair UseDownloadable infographic about fair use and libraries based upon the Code of Best Practices created by ARL, American University’s (AU) Washington College of Law, and AU’s School of Communication
- Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research LibrariesThis Code of Best Practices identifies eight scenarios identified by the academic and research library community where fair use principles commonly apply and steps libraries should take to help assure fair use.
- Fair Use EvaluatorThis is a tool developed by the ALA Copyright Advisory Network to assist libraries in evaluating whether a proposed use is fair.
- Fair Use Tool LinksThe Fair Use Index tracks a variety of judicial decisions to help both lawyers and non-lawyers better understand the types of uses courts have previously determined to be fair—or not fair. The decisions span multiple federal jurisdictions, including the U.S. Supreme Court, circuit courts of appeal and district courts. For each decision, there is a brief summary of the facts, the relevant question(s) presented and the court’s determination as to whether the contested use was fair.
- Fair Use QuizThe quiz, created by MIT Libraries, is designed to help users better understand the core concepts of copyright law’s “fair use” provision.
- Fair Use ChecklistFair use checklists exist in several variations used by libraries. This version was created by the Copyright Advisory Office at Columbia University.
- Thinking Through Fair UseThis is an interactive fair use checklist, from the University of Minnesota, to assist with fair use analysis.
