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Happy Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2017!

Last Updated on February 20, 2017, 6:59 pm ET

This week is Fair Use Week, an annual celebration of the important doctrines of fair use and fair dealing. It is designed to highlight and promote the opportunities presented by fair use and fair dealing, celebrate successful stories, and explain these doctrines.

Today marks the start of Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2017!

Fair use and fair dealing are essential limitations and exceptions to copyright, allowing the use of copyrighted materials without permission from the copyright holder under certain circumstances. Fair use and fair dealing are flexible doctrines, allowing copyright to adapt to new technologies. These doctrines facilitate balance in copyright law, promoting further progress and accommodating freedom of speech and expression.

While fair use and fair dealing is employed on a daily basis by students, faculty, librarians, journalists, and all users of copyrighted material, Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week is a time to promote and discuss the opportunities presented, celebrate successful stories and explain the doctrine.

The level of participation in Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week is entirely up to each participant. Some will publish a blog post on fair use on one day during the week, while others might host events each day of the week. Below are some examples of ways to participate in Fair Use Week:

  • Write a blog post on fair use/dealing.
  • Publish an op-ed.
  • Host a live panel on fair use/dealing at your campus, institution, or organization.
  • Host a webcast or webinar.
  • Create a video about fair use/dealing.
  • Publicize fair use/fair dealing on social media using the hashtag #fairuseweek2016.
    (On Twitter, you can also follow and tag @fairuseweek.)
  • Write to your member of Congress highlighting the importance of fair use and how you, your members, or institution/organization rely on fair use.
  • Create resources or share existing resources. (See http://fairuseweek.org/resources/ for a great collection of resources developed during last year’s Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week celebration.)

To find out more, get resources, post news items or see a calendar of events for the week, please visit the Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week website.

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