Fair Use is a limitation on the exclusive rights of copyright holders (discussed in section 107 of Copyright Law) to help preserve First Amendment rights of free speech and promote conversation for purposes such as "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research."

When evaluating whether a use is fair, four factors are taken into consideration:

1. The purpose and character of a use
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole, and
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

No one factor is decisive - all four factors are considered.

Additionally, under factor 1, whether or not the use is transformative has become an important consideration for Fair Use evaluations. Here are three questions to ask yourself to help determine whether your use is transformative (from the Framework for Copyright Analysis tab):

1. Does the copyrighted material help me make my new point?
2. Will it help my readers or viewers get my point?
3. Have I used no more than is needed to make my point? (Is it “just right”?)

• Fair Use Checklist

  Use this checklist to help guide you through a Fair Use Evaluation.

• Fair Use for Nonfiction Authors

  Fair Use best practices for nonfiction authors - prepared by the Authors Alliance

• Visual Resources Association: Statement on the Fair Use of Images for Teaching, Research, and Study (pdf)

  Describes six uses of copyrighted still images that the Visual Resources Association believes
  fall within the U.S. doctrine of fair use.

• Best Practices in Fair Use for Open Educational Resources

  Fair use practices for authors, adaptors, and adopters of OER.

• Guidelines for the Use of Copyrighted Materials and Works of Art by Art Museums (pdf)

  Addresses common situations where fair use applies for Art Museums, provided by the Association for Art Museum Directors

• Fair Use Codes & Best Practices | Center for Media and Social Impact

  A collection of detailed analyses and best practices for specific fair use scenarios for: Academic & Research Libraries, Documentary Filmmakers, Online Video, Poetry, OpenCourseware, Media Literacy Education, Scholarly Research in Communication, Dance-related Materials, Media Studies Publishing, Teaching for Film & Media Educators, and Orphan Works Collections in Libraries, Archives, and other Memory Institutions.

• Copyright and Fair Use Center

  From Stanford University Libraries

• Fair Use Fundamentals Infographic (pdf)

  Fair use is an important right that provides balance to the copyright system and supports the constitutional purpose of copyright to "promote the Progress of Science and the useful Arts." The Fair Use Fundamentals infographic explains what fair use is, why it is important, who uses fair use, and provides some examples of fair use.

• Fair Use in the Day of the Life of a College Student (pdf)

  A typical day in the life of a student shows the ways she constantly relies on fair use.

• Fair Use: 12 Myths and Realities

  While fair use is of critical importance, there are many myths about what fair use is and how it can be used. Here are twelve myths and realities of the doctrine.

• Fair Use Promotes the Creation of New Knowledge

  Where copyright law might otherwise act to prevent people from accessing knowledge, fair use permits everyone to use existing cultural and scientific material without permission, under certain circumstances. This fair use right promotes innovation, creativity, and scholarship, ultimately allowing new knowledge to be created and shared.