Fair
use allows authors and other creators to make reasonable use of
copyrighted Fair Use Balancing Act
material without paying a fee. It functions as a free
expression safety valve by allowing authors to make statements about
important societal issues. Without
it, copyright owners could squash criticism, commentary, news
reporting, scholarship, and even research they didn't like or approve
of.
Understanding Fair Use
Fair
use is a defense against copyright infringement. Courts favor uses that
challenge, interpret, build upon, tease, or poke fun at the original
work, resulting in new insights and meaning. Such uses are known as transformative
uses. Examples of transformative uses include editorials, criticism,
scholarship, news reporting, teaching, and parody. The more
transformative the use, the greater the likelihood the use will fit
under the aegis of fair use. In addition, courts favor uses that are
primarily educational or noncommercial. Uses that displace sales or
licensing opportunities for the owner of a work seldom qualify.
Using
a four-factor fairness test, courts weigh the exclusive rights of
copyright owners against the societal interest in the free flow of
information. No one of the following factors is determinant, although
factor four, which relates to economic harm to the copyright owner,
weighs heavily in any fair use decision.
1.
The purposes and character of the use, including whether the use
is primarily commercial. This factor also weigh the transformative nature of the use;
2.
The nature of the work that's been copied;
3.
The amount and importance of what's quoted in relation
to the original work;
4.
The effect the copying has on the market for the
original work and its derivatives
"Courts are solicitous of commercial publishers' free speech rights. Therefore, the fact that a publication is sold does not strip it of fair use protection. Fair use determinations are based on the totality of the factors. No one factor is controlling."
Working With Fair Use FACs
Despite
the ad hoc nature of reported fair use decisions, here are general
guidelines to help you ascertain if you have a viable fair use defense.
- Fair use favors
transformative uses. Are you using the work as a springboard to make new
insights? Do you critique the original? Have you made a connection between
the work you've copied and other works? Are you using the work to
buttress your arguments or the arguments of others? The
stronger the transformative nature of the use, the less critical the
commercial nature of the use.
- Since ideas are
common property, fair use is more likely to be found using factual
material.
- Poetry, song
lyrics, and visual works enjoy a high degree of protection under copyright
law, so fair use tilts against the use of these works.
- Quoting from
an unpublished work will expose you to greater risk than quoting previously published materials.
- The use must be
reasonable in light of the purpose of the copying. The less you
copy, the more likely fair use will be found. However, sometimes even
a small (but important) portion borrowed from a work may qualify as an
infringement.
- Synthesize facts
in your own words, keeping in mind that close paraphrasing may
constitute copyright infringement if done extensively.
- Lack of credit,
or improper credit, weighs against finding fair use. However, giving
credit will not transform an infringing use into a fair use.
- A parody (lawful), as opposed to satire (unlawful) is
a work that ridicules or mocks another work. Fair use looks favorably
upon parody. Make sure the parody is apparent and conjure up just enough of the original to convey your parodic
points.
- Being a non-profit or charitable organization will not shield you if you infringe someone's content.
- Don't
compete
with the work you are quoting or copying from. If the use displaces
or
diminishes the market for the original work, including potential
licensing revenue, likely it's not a fair use. That said, the more
transformative the use, the less factors like economic impact
matter.
Resources
A Guide to Trademark Fair Use & Title Clearance
Trademark Registration and the Single Book Title
Image: Tight-Rope Walker, c.1885 (oil on canvas)
About the
Artist: Jean Louis Forain (1852 - 1931)
DISCLAIMER: This article discusses general legal issues of interest and is not designed to give specific legal advice about specific circumstances. Professional legal advice should be obtained before acting upon any of the information contained in this article.
LLOYD JASSIN is a New York-based copyright, publishing, and
entertainment attorney. He is co-author of the Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook: A
Step-by-Step Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers (John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.). In addition, Lloyd has written extensively on negotiating
contracts in the publishing and entertainment industries and lectures
frequently on contract and copyright issues affecting creators and their
publisher partners. A long-time supporter of independent presses, he was
First Amendment counsel to the Independent Book Publishers Association
(IBPA) and is a member of The Beacon Press advisory board.
You may reach attorney Jassin at jassin@copylaw.org or at (212) 354-4442. His offices are in the heart of Times Square, in The Paramount Bldg., at 1501 Broadway, FL 12, NYC, 10036. Follow the Law Firm and Lloyd on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/lloydjassin
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