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Copyright at Carroll Community College

This guide will provide information on the College's copyright policy, procedures, and links to additional information.

Codes of Best Practices in Fair Use

A fair use determination is based on an analysis of the four factors outlined in Section 107 of the Copyright Act:

  • nature of the use
  • nature of the work used
  • quantity of the work used
  • effect on the market of the work used.

In order to make this analysis, one must balance the transformative nature of the use against the effects on the rights of the work's owner. 

Codes of Best Practices in Fair Use have been developed by various professional associations to assist with this process.  In deciding fair use court cases, judges look to whether a user has acted reasonably and "in good faith in light of standards of accepted practice in his or her particular field." (Code 2012).

Carroll Community College recognizes the various codes of best practices as reasonable guides in determining fair use.  The guidelines appearing on these pages, therefore, reflect the recommendations appearing in the following Codes of Best Practices:

(Association of Research Libraries.  Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries.  (2012).  Chicago:  ACRL.  Print.)