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“The Congress shall have power…To promote

the progress of

science and useful arts, by securing for

limited times to authors and

inventors the exclusive right

to their respective writings

and discoveries”

Article 1 Section 8U.S. Constitution

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Owners’ rights• Reproduce• Prepare derivative works• Distribute copies• Perform• Display

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What qualifies?

• Original, creative• Fixed, tangible medium

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Balances rights of owners and users

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“… copyright assures authors the right to their original expression, but encourages others to build freely upon the ideas

and information conveyed by

a work. This result is neither unfair nor

unfortunate.”

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Four Factors

1. Purpose & character of use2. Nature of copyrighted work3. Amount, substantiality used4. Effect on market

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Purpose & character

Fair use Infringement

Created something new (transformative)

Copied verbatim into another work

Nature of the work

- Factual- Biographical- Published

- Fictional- Unpublished

InfringementFair use

Amount & substantiality

- Small amount - Large amount - Heart of work

InfringementFair use

Market effect

- Minimal effect - Deprive income - Undermine market

InfringementFair use

That’s fair

• Parody• Review• Commentary• Scholarship• Research• Education

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