About Fair Use

About Fair Use

Stanford University Libraries define Fair Use as "the right to use portions of copyrighted works for education, commentary, or parody." When used for these purposes and adhering to Fair Use guidelines, you are not in violation of rules governing copyright infringement. However, it is important to keep in mind that Fair Use is still restricted and not unconditional, even in an educational setting.

Fair Use does not negate the need to cite your sources and credit material

When am I most likely to encounter Fair Use questions?

• Multimedia projects: Often students will use music, videos or photos to enhance a presentation. Just keep the above guidelines in mind when planning and developing your project.
• Literary projects: Commentaries, parodies and similar assignments may require the use of original text. There may be an issue as to whether Fair Use applies in these situations. In his article What is Fair Use?, Richard Stim offers some insights surrounding this question.