Fair Use of Copyrighted Material
Though copyright reflects the exclusive right of the owner of a particular work to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or license it, there are limitations associated with such exclusivity. Such limitations have allowed for a "fair use" of the item, without the necessity of securing permission to use the copyrighted work. Generally, uses revloving around the criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research of the item fall within the realm of "fair use".
Specifically, the U.S. Copyright Act sets four factors or guidelines in determining whether or not "fair use" is reasonably used. They are:
Because the above guidelines don't specifically or empirically address the instances when fair use would apply with full certainty, it is always advisable to contact the author of the work in question and ask permission for its use.
Using Items in the Public Domain
The term "public domain" refers to content that does not possess any copyright restriction or conform to intellectual property laws. Typically, works in the public domain are designated as such due to the age of the work. Works published in the United States before 1923 are typically free of copyright restriction. Works can also be designated as public domain content if specifically designated by the author.