Some of the works distributed by the copyright office can be more helpful
than this law quotation and even the comments included by the library at
the University of Minnesota.  Particularly significant are the listed uses
that extend beyond simple educational use as in "the classroom."  Form and
style are often the most distinctive features in contention.  In
particular, simple facts and ideas, can be used with minimal worry if the
goal of the use is obviously not commercial (profit directed) and you are
not quoting an entire data set.

Direct quotes of creative expression may often be the major concern.  Poor
paraphrasing that leaves the impression that you are crediting the
information as a direct quote may annoy the original writer more than the
actual use.  Don't quote their unintentional errors unless your goal is
obviously to correct misconceptions.  The same is true of typographic
errors or distorting the original writer's conclusions without making it
clear you are deriving new and different conclusions from new data or the
original writer's data and conclusions.  Usually you may want to consider
the author's original intentions: Was he/she primarily trying to "make a
buck" or just trying to distribute research results.  There are always
uncertainties, but only a few try simply to scare off what they consider is
their competition.  Quite a few have been lead to believe that a copyright
is an absolute that prohibits all reproduction.

Disclosure: "Yes, I have some copyrighted works that were designed with
provision to recover publication costs.  In the past I have granted
republication rights of selected sections.  And since I'm retired I no
longer look for unauthorized usage of materials that have little remaining
market  values.  :-)"  N. Sturm


> [Original Message]
> From: <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 3/13/2006 12:06:43 AM
> Subject: Copyright and school use
>
> Copyright Information & Education: Fair Use
> Overview of the fair use doctrine "which allows users of copyrighted
works to
> exercise some rights under certain circumstances without seeking
permission
> or paying royalties." It is "probably the most important exemption to
copyright
> protections for educational settings, allowing many uses of copyrighted
works
> for the purposes of teaching and research." Includes a description of the
> four fair use factors and tools for evaluating the applicability of the
doctrine.
> From the University of Minnesota Libraries.
> http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright/fairuse.phtml
>
>
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions
at
> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html