What is Fair Use?


"This blog is an ongoing exploration of issues related to copyright and fair use in our contemporary digital culture."

Author: Peter Friedman is a visiting assistant professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He also authors Ruling Imagination: Law and Creativity.

Blawg Related Categories: Intellectual Property Law • Copyright Law • University of Detroit Mercy • Law Professor

Recent Posts from What is Fair Use?


  • I will be writing on fair use and copyright at Ruling Imagination

    This blog (as explained in greater detail below in the right-hand column) constitutes an exploration of issues related to copyright and fair use in our contemporary digital culture. The blog began and continued through April…

  • Court rules Harry Potter Lexicon infringed J.K. Rowling's copyright

    I've been vindicated. I wrote on April 14 that I thought J.K. Rowling's claim for copyright infringement against the author of a lexicon would prevail because the case seemed materially indistinguishable from Castle Rock Entertainment…

  • Sarah Barracuda

    From TMZ (h/t Snapped Shot): "Ann and Nancy Wilson are pissed at the Republican Party and have fired off a cease and desist letter to the McCain/Palin campaign. Specifically, the Heart women are upset that the…

  • The first authoritative survey of the history of collage

    Collage: Assembling Contemporary Art is the first authoritative survey of the history of collage from its origins through to the latest work being produced by artists today. From the traditional ‘cut and paste’ method through…

  • An Educational Campaign?

    From Techdirt:It's no secret that both the MPAA and the RIAA have created so-called "educational campaigns" for students about copyright. These educational programs are incredibly one-sided, of course, and it's amazing that many schools actually…

  • Before sending a DMCA takedown notice, one must consider whether the objectionable material constitutes fair use

    I wrote recently that Universal was resting its case on a "weak reed" in arguing that it need not consider whether the use of its copyrighted materials is fair use before sending a DMCA takedown…

  • Lawyers' work needs to be effective, not necessarily original

    I wrote recently that legal writing is a quintessentially collaborative enterprise. That in part is why I think copyright is not an issue with respect to legal documents. A more important reason legal documents are…

  • appropriation can be original

    I disagree with the first part of this quote, from Barry Slotnick, head of the intellectual property litigation group at the law firm Loeb & Loeb. I agree with the second:(1) "Fair use is a…

  • Universal Goes Crazy

    "Universal Music told a federal judge . . . Friday that takedown notices requiring online video-sharing sites to automatically remove content need not consider whether videos are protected by the 'fair use' doctrine." The case…

  • The Red Army Choir strikes again

    The world is a very strange place. If you know the origins of this blog (see sidebar), you might laugh as hard as I did at this (and wonder even more about Kid Rock):