Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States. (title 17, U. S.Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including. literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This. protection is available to both published and unpublished works. https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf

FAIR USE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTED MATERIALS

Title 17 United States Code Annotated Section 107

107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use

Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include--

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

(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;

(3) the 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The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

REMEMBER: IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO DEFENSE

COPYRIGHT: FAIR USE GUIDELINES

Here is a brief synopsis of FAIR USE for Copyright protected materials:

Text: up to 10% or 1,000 words, whichever is less

If a poem is less than 250 words and is printed on not more than two pages, it may be copied in its entirety, if it is longer, only 250 words may be copied. An unfinished line may be finished, if the 250 words falls in the middle of a line.

If a complete article, story or essay is less than 2,500 words, it may be copied in its entirety. Plays, novels, or letters, 1,000 words or 10% of the whole, whichever is less, may be copied. No matter the length of the work 500 words may be copied even if that exceeds 10% of the whole with the exception of picture books due to their brevity.

Audio: up to 10%, but not more than 30 seconds

Images: not more than five images by the same artist or photographer

Video: up to 10% or three minutes, whichever is less

Numerical data: up to 10% or 2500 fields or cell entries, whichever is less

Educators may use their multimedia projects and materials for educational purposes for a period of up to two years after the first instructional use in class. Beyond that period they must acquire permission of the holders of each copyrighted portion.