fair use
Noun: - A legal doctrine permitting limited use of copyrighted material without permission: "Fair use" refers to the specific circumstances defined by law that allow someone to use a portion of a copyrighted work, such as for commentary, criticism, news reporting, teaching, or research, without needing to obtain permission from or provide payment to the copyright holder.
The term "fair use" is used primarily in legal, academic, and creative contexts to describe an exception to copyright infringement. It is a defense against a claim of copyright violation. Determining "fair use" involves analyzing several factors, including the purpose of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount used, and the effect of the use on the market for the original work.
- In a legal discussion:
- The court ruled that the parody constituted fair use and was not a copyright violation.
- In an academic setting:
- Students must understand the principles of fair use when quoting sources in their research papers.
- In content creation:
- The film reviewer claimed fair use for the short movie clips included in her critical analysis video.
- "A fair use analysis": The process of evaluating the four factors to determine if a use qualifies as fair use.
- Before publishing the excerpt, the editor conducted a fair use analysis.
- "To fall under fair use": To be considered permissible under the fair use doctrine.
- Educational uses often fall under fair use, but there are limits.
- Fair dealing (noun): A similar but distinct legal doctrine used in some other common law countries (like the UK and Canada) that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission for specific purposes.
- The concept of fair dealing in Canadian law is more restrictive than American fair use.
- Permitted use: An allowed use (though this is a more general, non-legal term).
- Copyright exception: A broader category of limitations and exceptions to copyright, which includes fair use.
- "Claim fair use": To assert that one's use of copyrighted material is protected by the fair use doctrine.
- The website claimed fair use for the thumbnail images in its search results.
- "Fair use defense": The legal argument that an otherwise infringing use is excused because it is fair use.
- The defendant's primary argument was a fair use defense.
(Note: "Fair use" itself is a technical legal term and is not typically part of idiomatic expressions. However, it is central to related concepts.) - "To walk the fine line of fair use": To carefully operate within the ambiguous boundaries of what is legally permissible. - Many YouTube creators feel they have to walk the fine line of fair use when using copyrighted music.
- the conditions under which you can use material that is copyrighted by someone else without paying royalties