Copyright and Fair Use
Learn what copyright protects, what fair use allows, and how to use others' work legally and ethically.
Copyright law gives creators exclusive rights over their original work. Understanding copyright helps you respect creators' rights and avoid legal and ethical problems when using others' work.
What Is Copyright?
Copyright is a legal protection that gives creators of original works — books, music, art, films, software, and more — exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and adapt their work. Copyright applies automatically when a work is created; you do not need to register it.
What Is Fair Use?
Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as education, commentary, criticism, news reporting, and parody. Fair use is not a blanket permission — it is evaluated case by case using four factors.
- Purpose: Educational and non-commercial uses are more likely to qualify
- Nature: Using factual works is more defensible than using creative works
- Amount: Using a small portion is more defensible than using the whole work
- Effect: Uses that do not harm the market for the original are more defensible
Many creators use Creative Commons licenses to specify how their work can be used. Look for CC licenses on images, music, and text — they tell you exactly what is and is not permitted.
Finding an image through a Google search does not mean it is free to use. Most images are copyrighted. Use image search filters to find images licensed for reuse, or use public domain sources.
Ready to test your knowledge?
3 questions · Grade 7 level