Clemson Libraries celebrates Fair Use Week 2020 (February 24th – February 28th), a North America wide effort held each year to raise awareness to the doctrine of fair use under United States copyright law, as well as the similar principles in other countries, such as fair dealing in Canada. Fair use is a crucial exception and limitation to copyright. It allows copyrighted materials to be used without permission from copyright holders in certain circumstances, depending on the nature of the work being used, the purpose of the use, how much of the work is being used and the effect that the use would have on the market or value of the copyrighted work. The doctrine is essential to journalism, entertainment, research and education, permitting commentary, criticism and parody of copyrighted works and encouraging transformative uses of these works to produce new innovation. Fair use is flexible and adaptable. It can be applied to materials in a variety of media, and the doctrine establishes a critical balance between the need to protect the rights of owners of original ideas and expressions and ensuring freedom of speech and expression under the First Amendment and intellectual freedom.
Industries reliant on fair use in their operations produce 16% to 17% of the US GDP each year, and the doctrine is employed by students, academic faculty and librarians on a daily basis in higher education. Commissioned by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), a non-profit organization representing academic libraries across North America, Fair Use Week is an opportunity to promote greater understanding of fair use principles, discuss opportunities that the doctrine offers, particularly in the context of post-secondary education and to celebrate successful stories of fair use. For more information on the event please go to: http://fairuseweek.org/