The right set forth in Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act, to use copyrighted materials for certain purposes, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. it is often understood as a form of copyright law that allows limited use of copyright material without requiring permission from the rights holders.
Determining Fair Use[]
Section 107 sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:
- (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
- (2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
- (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
- (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.