Did ya know? It's Fair Use Day: July 11, 2007 (ars technica) [LWN.net]

ars technica reminds us that today is the day to celebrate our right to fairly use copyrighted material, no matter what the holders might wish you to believe. "'It is important the people are aware of what they can legally do with regards to copyrighted material,' said Pirate Party US spokesman Andrew Norton. 'Very often people believe that a use of copyrighted material that would normally fall into fair use is an infringement of copyright. It is a belief that copyright holders seek to enforce, either through frivolous litigation, intimidation, or legal and political maneuvering to legally restrict what can be considered fair use. This is especially true when it comes to critical reviews, or parodies.'"

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Did ya know? It's Fair Use Day: July 11, 2007 (ars technica)

Posted Jul 12, 2007 0:07 UTC (Thu) by EmbeddedLinuxGuy (guest, #35019) [Link]

If anybody is wondering how to "fairly use" copyrighted material, there is no precise definition but there is a four-factor test. Your use is most likely considered "fair" if:

The use is for a non-profit or educational purpose
The work used is more factual than creative
Only a small amount of the work is used
The use has no significant adverse impact on the work's commercial potential

See Using the Four Factor Fair Use Test, also discussed in Lessig's Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace.

An animated guide to fair use

Posted Jul 12, 2007 3:45 UTC (Thu) by jimmybgood (guest, #26142) [Link]

Check out this informative and entertaining guide to fair use: Fair(y)_Use_Tale

Did ya know? It's Fair Use Day: July 11, 2007 (ars technica)

Posted Jul 12, 2007 5:54 UTC (Thu) by Duncan (guest, #6647) [Link]

> said Pirate Party US spokesman Andrew Norton.

I did a double-take on that name, having to look at it twice. In the
context of LWN, I'm rather more used to seeing it spelled with
an "M", "Andrew Morton". (Yes, I'm quite sure it's not the same guy, but
that didn't prevent the abrupt stop, backup, read it again more slowly
this time, remapping in appropriate context, experience. =8^)

Duncan