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Fair Use

The copyright law embodies the concept of "fair use". Fair use permits the reproduction of copies for purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship and research. The determinants of whether or not a use is considered to be fair are the following:

• The purpose and character of the use, whether the use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.
• The nature of the work.
• The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the whole work.
• The effect of the use upon the potential market for the work.

Agreements worked out by authors, publishers and users have placed limits on what may be copies under "fair use" and under what circumstances. Any copying must meet the test of fair use before copies can be made. This includes print and non-print materials.