Plagiarism, Citation, Copyright and Fair Use: Fair Use

The doctrine of "fair use" refers to Section 107 of U.S. Copyright law. It places a limitation on the copyright holders rights, and allows consumers to copy part (or all) of a copyrighted work in certain circumstances, based on one of the following "Four Factors:"

1. the purpose and character of the use (is it for commercial, or for non-profit, educational purposes?)
   
2. the nature of the copyrighted work
   
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used
   
4. the effect of the use on the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work