The University seeks to encourage the fair use of copyrighted materials balancing the research needs of faculty, students, and staff while respecting the intellectual property rights of copyright holders and abiding by the pertinent laws governing usage of copyrighted materials. According to Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 107 of the U.S Copyright law:

In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

For a more complete set of guidelines, see Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia developed by The Consortium of College and University Media Centers. For information on the TEACH act, see the American Library Association.