• February 26–March 1, 2024

    Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week

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.

 

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Our Mission

Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week is 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.

How to Participate in Fair Use Week

Fair use (in the US) and fair dealing (in Canada) are essential to copyright law, allowing the use of copyrighted materials without permission from the copyright holder under certain circumstances. Fair use and fair dealing allow users to apply copyright law to new technologies and applications; for instance, in the US, courts have found that mass digitization of copyrighted works for non-consumptive purposes is a fair use. Fair use and fair dealing facilitate balance in copyright law, promoting further progress and accommodating freedom of speech and expression.

While fair use and fair dealing are 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 these concepts, and celebrate fair use and fair dealing. See below for ideas of how you and your institution can celebrate fair use and fair dealing!

Share what you’re doing on FairUseWeek.org! Are you hosting a local event, like a live panel, or virtual webinar to show off how your community can access and build on your library’s special collections, or demonstrate your institution’s focus on music, film, dance, etc.? Are you sharing your unique perspective on recent fair use jurisprudence in a blog post? Send it to us for inclusion on fairuseweek.org, and on social media using this form, or email commteam@arl.org.

To learn more about Fair Dealing in Canada or to share your events for Fair Dealing Week visit Fair Dealing Works!

Engage on social media!

  • @ARLnews
  • @FairUseWeek
  • #FairUseWeek
  • #FairDealingWeek
  • #FDWorks