You may not know it, but you would likely be violating copyright law every day and subject to hefty fines if it wasn’t for a legal doctrine called fair use.  We recognize that as important as fair use is, it is a complicated principle that needs help explaining.  So, Re:Create is launching a series of “day in the life” infographics to help break down the important role fair use plays in our daily lives, especially in this digital age. Our first stop in the series is the South By Southwest festival where our coalition is hosting an event on the future of copyright.

Fair use is a part of our nation’s copyright law that allows for the use of copyrighted materials for a limited and transformative purpose without permission. The determination if a particular use is fair use is based on four factors:  

1) the purpose and character of your use

2) the nature of the work

3) the amount and substantiality of the portion taken

4) the effect of the use on the market for the original work

If you want to learn even more, we just wrapped up Fair Use Week at the end of February with blogs, Q&A exchanges and other informative content. You can also check out this BuzzFeed list that showed some of the things we are all able to enjoy because of fair use.  

Be sure to check back here for more infographics on fair use and how it impacts your life.