What is Fair Use Week?

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has dedicated this week to celebrating the freedom we have under the principles of Fair Use.  Each day teachers teach, students learn, researchers advance knowledge, and consumers access copyrighted information due to exemptions in copyright law. Fair use and fair dealing allow the use of copyrighted materials without permission from the copyright holder under certain circumstances. For libraries, educational institutions, and the public, the fair use doctrine is the most important limitation on the rights of the copyright owner—the "safety valve" of US copyright law.

Fair Use Week is an annual celebration of the doctrine of fair use and fair dealing. It celebrates the important role fair use plays in achieving the Constitutional purpose of intellectual property rights in the US: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts. The flexible nature of the fair use doctrine has permitted copyright to adapt to new technologies and changes.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in the US and Canada. ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve.

Visit ARL is on the web.

For further reading see “Reminder: Fair Use Is A Right -- And Not 'An Exception' Or 'A Defense'” .