Happy Fair Use Week 2020! Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2020 takes place from Monday, February 24 through Friday, February 28. This week celebrates the importance of fair use in the United States and fair dealing in Canada and elsewhere. What is Fair Use? Glad you asked!
Fair use is an exception to the rights of copyright holders which allow the public to make limited uses of copyrighted works. The statute can be defined a limited right to use copyrighted works without the copyright holder’s consent, usually under confined circumstances, for purposes such as education, research, news reporting, criticism, and commentary. Due to the nature of these specific pursuits, fair use is a legal incentive for the advancement of knowledge and the communication of ideas. However, fair use does not allow all uses. Learn more about the fair use statute, the meaning, and limitations.
How does Fair Use impact me? Most likely, as a staff, student, or faculty member you use fair use in terms of education and research. As this infographic explains, fair use is for and used by everyone, from the New York Times to South Park. The episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in which the character Titus “Lemonades” is a great example of how parody is considered fair use. Fair use is vitally important to the economy, innovation, creativity, and scholarship; so whether you’re using copyrighted works for research, scholarship, or another use, think about how Fair Use can be used to your advantage!
