What Is Fair Use?

Fair use is a strange concept, but you can consider it a loophole in copyright law. It's why you can still watch your favorite movie on Netflix without paying for it or read an article from a newspaper online without paying for it. Fair use works because certain circumstances allow you to copy copyrighted materials without permission or even spend the copyright holder for the right to do so. For example: if you want to make copies of books or articles to teach a class, or if you want to make copies of your favorite song because you've heard it so many times and want to listen to it while working out at the gym—these are both examples of fair use. Remembering the key to proper use: "The fairer the use, the freer you are. " Fair use is a legal concept that allows you to make limited copies of copyrighted works for specific purposes. For example, if you wanted to copy part of a book or song into your work, you could use fair use as an exception. (It's important to note that this doesn't apply if you're copying something for commercial purposes—that's not legal.) Fair use also allows circumvention of encryption tools for copied portions of copyrighted materials for ethical and non-commercial intents and purposes. Copied and shared reviews of creative works that benefit the public are also considered fair use. However, fair use is considered more equitable if less copyrighted material is copied. Fair use implications typically provide for non-competitive intentions, such as not being a direct market competitor or profit recipient. Fair use protects users' rights to access content without paying for it. So next time someone tells you that fair use doesn't apply in their situation, know they're probably wrong!