The Fair Use Doctrine relates to copyright law and is a limitation on an author’s copyright that allows for the limited use of copyrighted material without the author’s permission.
There are no set guidelines—no specific word count or lines that may be used—and the distinction between what is fair use and what is infringement isn’t always clear. It is always wise to cite your source, but citing the source doesn’t protect you against copyright infringement.
If you are quoting one or two lines from a book, you are more than likely within fair use. Always check the copyright page of the book first. Do not quote song lyrics without getting the correct permission.
Put yourself in the author’s shoes. If you had written what you want to quote, would you feel your copyright had been infringed?
If you’re unsure whether what you want to quote is within fair use, ask for permission or avoid using it.
- For more information on fair use, visit here http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
- For copyright law, visit here http://www.copyright.gov/title17/
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013