Fair use describes conditions under which copyrighted material may be used without permission. Today is the day when all of the pirates around the world grab their best eye patch and some fine rum. Today is Fair Use day, it is not exactly a formal holiday but it is still a practiced holiday by Fair Use supporters.Wikipedia defines fair use as:

Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as use for scholarship or review. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author’s work under a four-factor balancing test. It is based on free speech rights provided by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Fair Use has been a hot topic over the past few years, with both sides slinging mud back and forth. Well, one side slinging law suits and the other trying to hold their ground. Fair Use is a very debatable topic and can be difficult to draw the line of where infringement starts and Fair Use ends.

At any rate, Happy Fair use day. Below are some related links on the subject of Fair Use and copyright.

http://www.fairuseday.com
http://www.pirate-party.us/node/366
 http://www.eff.org/

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