This guide is meant to give you information about copyright, fair use, and other intellectual property topics. It is not intended to provide legal advice. If you have questions about a particular copyright situation, please consult a lawyer.
Fair Use is a legal doctrine that permits the use of copyrighted works under specific circumstances without the need to secure a license or ask for permission and is meant to promote freedom of expression. Those circumstances include, but are not necessarily limited to: criticism, commentary, parody, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. However, fair use is not a free pass to use someone else's work, simply claiming that the use falls under one of the categories mentioned does not necessarily mean that it automatically falls under fair use, and best practice dictates you must still give credit to the original creator.
In order to determine fair use, there is a four-factor test that is used to determine if the use qualifies. The four factors are: purpose and character of the use, nature of the work you are using, amount and substantiality used, and effect on the market. None of these factors on their own guarantees fair use, all the factors are weighed together when making that determination.
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