DMS 103 Copyright and the Visual Arts: Home

The fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. An analysis of fair use looks at four factors:
1) the purpose and character of the use
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 original.

This new code of best practices seeks to provide a “clear framework in which to apply fair use with confidence, knowing the shared norms of [the] field.”

A checklist designed to aid in the analysis of a fair use determination when using a copyrighted work

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools.

Free to use licenses from Creative Commons that encourage open sharing of content

Lists a number of search engines that can help you locate content to use in commercial or educational projects, including images, photographs, music, and video.

Over 24 million freely available media files