Copyright and Fair Use

Works in the public domain are free for anyone to use.

• True

• False

Copyright is included in the U.S. Constitution.

• True

• False

Copyrighted material can be used if you:

• include a reference to the author.
• obtain permission or follow Fair Use guidelines.
• are using the material for a school assignment.
• do not see a copyright symbol.

Which of the following is considered fair use of copyrighted material?

• Using 100% of the lyrics of a copyrighted song in your video
• Commenting about a music video on a social networking site.
• Reworking small parts of an original song to use it for a school project.
• Downloading a song from the Internet and making copies for your family.

“Fair use” allows you to use copyrighted work without permission or payment, but only in certain situations. Which of the following is NOT a “fair use” situation?

• Chelsea uses a copyrighted photo for a school presentation

• A journalist shows a copyrighted video clip in a news report

• Jordan remixes a copyrighted song and charges people for it

Jason copies the entire last chapter from the final Harry Potter book to his commercial blog without any additional commentary.  Since he only used part of the work, Jason would be protected by fair use.

• True
• False

Ruby makes a YouTube video about why she doesn’t like reality television. She uses clips from reality TV shows to support her argument. Why does Ruby’s video count as fair use?

• Because TV shows aren’t copyrighted

• Because Ruby’s video criticizes, or comments on, reality TV shows

• Because Ruby’s video is a parody