5 Teacher Tips for Classroom Fair Use.

5 Teacher Tips for Classroom Fair Use.

What is fair use?

Memes & GIF's

• Transformative Use: Memes should add new meaning or commentary, not just copy the original.
• Non-Commercial Purpose: Use them for learning, not profit.
• Fair Use Factors: Consider purpose, amount used, nature of the work, and market impact.
• Credit Creators: Give credit to original sources when possible.

Music

Fair use of music in a classroom means you can use parts of a song for teaching, analysis, or discussion as long as the use supports learning and does not replace the need to purchase the music. You can play short clips to explain rhythm, lyrics, culture, or style. The portion used should be limited—just enough to teach the lesson—not the entire song unless you have permission or it is already legally owned by the school. The use should not be for entertainment, public performance, or commercial purposes. When possible, credit the artist and source.

Videos (including Feature Films)

• Educational use: Using images for critique, analysis, or commentary supports fair use.
• Limited audience: Class presentations or research papers reduce market impact.
• Teacher/scholar use: Worksheets or academic papers with images are generally fair use.
• Market impact: Use is fair if it doesn’t harm the creator’s ability to sell the work.

5 Teacher Tips for Classroom Fair Use.

Photocopying of Printed Materials

• Limited to short works: Only chapters, articles, short stories, essays, poems, or single charts/diagrams/pictures can be copied. Entire books or large sections are not allowed.
• Cannot replace required texts: Copies are meant for supplementary use, not as a substitute for assigned textbooks or core materials.
• No profit allowed: Copies cannot be sold for profit, though minimal fees to cover photocopying costs are permitted.
• Not mandatory: Teachers cannot require students to purchase or use copied materials as a condition of the class.
• Public interest and promotion: Copying must not harm the public interest; it can actually promote works and potentially increase sales.

Digital Pictures Found Online

• Educational and transformative purpose: Using a copyrighted image to analyze, critique, or comment (e.g., in a student PowerPoint) supports fair use.
• Limited audience and non-commercial use: Showing the image only in class or in a research paper reduces market impact and strengthens fair use.
• Teacher or scholar use: Using images on worksheets or in academic papers for commentary is generally considered fair use.
• Market impact consideration: Fair use is more likely if the use does not harm the original creator’s ability to sell or profit from the work.