Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Alabama

Re: Library

This subject falls under the legal category of �fair use�. �Fair Use� is used to describe those situations where copying made be made without violating the Copyrights of the owner.

US Copyright laws contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered �fair,� such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. The US laws sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

2. the nature of the copyrighted work;

3. 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.

The distinction between �fair use� and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.

Examples of activities that courts have regarded as fair use: �quotation of excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment; quotation of short passages in a scholarly or technical work, for illustration or clarification of the author�s observations; use in a parody of some of the content of the work parodied; summary of an address or article, with brief quotations, in a news report; reproduction by a library of a portion of a work to replace part of a damaged copy; reproduction by a teacher or student of a small part of a work to illustrate a lesson; reproduction of a work in legislative or judicial proceedings or reports; incidental and fortuitous reproduction, in a newsreel or broadcast, of a work located in the scene of an event being reported.�

The safest course is always to get permission from the copyright owner before using copyrighted material. When it is impracticable to obtain permission, use of copyrighted material should be avoided unless the doctrine of �fair use� would clearly apply to the situation.

I hope this answers your question.

Jay Brooks

Re: Library

The Copyright Act has a specific exemption for such use.