Library will spotlight key copyright exception during Fair Use Week

Fair use graphic section 107 in red, white, and blue
February 18, 2019

Can a student put a photo of an artwork in a conference presentation? Can a politician play a song at his rallies—even if the songwriter objects? Can a professor scan an article and share it with her class? Can a social media user turn an internet image into a meme?

During Fair Use Week ( Feb. 25 – March 1, 2019),  Yale University Library staff and other experts will shed light on issues like these with panels, presentations, and pop-up tables to explore and explain the “fair use” of copyrighted materials permitted under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.

There are no hard and fast rules for determining fair use. Instead, users must consider and weigh four factors: the purpose of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount of the original work used, and the likely impact the use of the copyrighted work will have on marketability for the copyright holder.  Read more about the four factors and how to apply them to specific uses.

Please join us for these library events, all free and open to the public.  

Fair Use Panel, Monday, Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Sterling Memorial Library Lecture Hall

Lawyers, academics, and creators will discuss fair use and how it is applied in practice, and answer audience questions.

  • Pamela Chambers, Yale Senior Associate General Counsel
  • Anderson Duff, Partner, Revision Legal
  • Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, Anonymous 4
  • Laura Quilter, Copyright & Information Policy Librarian, UMass-Amherst
  • Moderated by Joan Emmet, Licensing & Copyright Librarian, Yale University Library

Using Images Presentation, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 1 – 2 p.m., Bass Library, Rm. L01

Wondering if the image you grabbed off the Internet is available for your use in your paper/presentation/website?  What to watch out for and when fair use is an option.

  • Lindsay Barnett, Collection Development Librarian, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
  • Tess Colwell, Arts Librarian for Research Services, Haas Family Arts Library

Interactive Presentation: Fair Use and Recordings, Thursday, Feb. 28,  4 -5 p.m., Gilmore Music Library

Concerned about how to use existing sound recordings in your new works, compositions, arrangements, or presentations?  Wondering about rights holders and whether fair use is an option? This event is limited to 12 participants, pre-registration required.

  • Jonathan Manton, Music Librarian for Digital and Access Services, Gilmore Music Library
  • Mark Bailey, Head of Historic Sound Recordings, Gilmore Music Library

Data & Fair Use Presentation, Friday, March 1, 2019, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., Franke Family Digital Humanities Laboratory, Sterling Memorial Library

Confused about whether you can use data, articles, and other information for your research project?  Come to this talk to learn about best practices for text and numeric research questions.

  • Catherine DeRose, Manager, Digital Humanities Lab
  • Joshua Dull, Digital Scholarship Specialist, Yale University Library
  • Barbara Esty, Data Librarian, Center for Science and Social Science Information
  • Peter Leonard, Director, Digital Humanities Lab

Librarians will staff Fair Use Pop-up Tables at different locations throughout the week

  • Monday, Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
  • Tuesday, Feb. 26, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Yale West Campus Conference Center
  • Wednesday, Feb. 27, 10 a.m. – noon, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning (hallway)
  • Thursday, Feb. 28, 10 a.m. – noon, Divinity School Library

For more information about these events and related online events, visit the library’s Fair Use website. A Fair Use tool for assessing a specific proposed use can be found on the web page of the university’s general counsel.