"Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances." -- Copyright.gov
Copyright law is quite complex and is constantly evolving largely due to changes in technology. Decisions made in copyright infringement cases will help clarify copyright law, but that will take time. In the meantime, this ambiguity works in favor of the student, teacher, educational institution, and library.
There are four factors to consider when deciding to fairly use copyrighted materials (see the checklist linked below), in fact, these are the properties courts assess when Fair Use issues end up in court. Keep them in mind.
Favors Fair Use | Opposes Fair Use |
PURPOSE | |
|
|
AMOUNT | |
|
|
NATURE | |
|
|
EFFECT | |
|
|
Learn more about Fair Use and check the "fairness" of your use of copyrighted resources using the Fair Use Evaluator and check out the The UWF Fair Use Checklist