Certain limited use of copyrighted materials for teaching, criticism, commentary, reporting, scholarship, and research is considered a "fair use" and does not constitute an infringement of copyright. The law sets forth the following four factors to be used in determining whether a particular use is a fair use:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature;
2. The nature of the copyrighted work;
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole;
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work.

What constitutes fair use, however, remains difficult to determine. Copying for educational purposes is often considered a fair use, provided the person doing the copying has acted fairly and in good faith. However, fair use applies only to non-profit copying.

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