fair use

[ fair yoos ]

noun

1. reasonable and limited use of copyrighted material so as not to infringe upon copyright:

   The artist's biographer claimed fair use of quotes from unpublished personal letters.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fair use¹

First recorded in 1840–45

Example Sentences

The startup countered by saying that its use of Apple’s code was a classic protected case of fair use.

From MIT Technology Review

Last week, the Supreme Court concluded that Google’s use of Oracle’s code in its Android operating system was fair use.

From Search Engine Land

If these effects on Oracle’s potential market favor Google, something is very wrong with our fair use analysis.

From Time

Software underpins more and more aspects of society, and allowing fair use access to copyrighted code could potentially “allow challenges to any discriminatory factors built into the code” in the future, she argues.

From Time

I suspect this theme will unlock many future arguments and claims regarding the application of fair use to software related claims.

From Search Engine Land

Although fair use is a complicated and subjective issue, copyright lawyers say Gawker has a tough case ahead of them.

From The Daily Beast

“Taking 20 pages of a book not released yet is less likely to be deemed fair use,” Ballon said.

From The Daily Beast

This is the necessary and absolutely only true, just and fair use of a garden!

From Project Gutenberg

The extreme importance of making a fair use of this privilege has been already alluded to in its proper place.

From Project Gutenberg

Whether simple quotation constitutes an infringement or is "fair use," depends upon extent and in some respects upon purpose.

From Project Gutenberg

A man with fair use of his hands and eyes can pick it up in less time than it takes to tell it.

From Project Gutenberg

The public have not the right of "fair use" comment and criticism which they have in a published work.

From Project Gutenberg