Copyright and Fair Use

A major errors and omissions insurer, National Union, a member company of AIG, is accepting Fair Use claims based on the Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use, when supported by an appropriate lawyer’s letter. This is an extraordinary demonstration of the power of this best-practices approach to making the fair-use option in copyright law useable again. "This is great news," said filmmaker Alex Gibney, who recently got insurance with such claims recognized.Read more...

A recent article details the struggles that Yahoo has faced regarding providing links to archived stories found in a group of Belgian newspapers. The newspapers claim that providing such an archive is an infringement of copyright laws. Read more...

"Gossip gangstar" Perez Hilton is being sued by paparazzi photo agency X17 Inc. for his use of over 50 photos on his Hollywood gossip blog, according to the LA Times, "Perez Hilton takes their best shots." From the article, "If it turns out that what he does is copyright infringement — rather than a Fair Use of newsworthy images, as Hilton's attorney claims — it would not only put a serious crimp in the photo-driven field of gossip blogs, but possibly create new case law. Read more...

Want your questions on Fair Use Answered?? Check out the new Fair Use FAQ! Read more...

It's no secret that online video sites are plagued these days with material uploaded by users with no rights to do so, but not Revver! If you haven't checked it out yet, Revver allows you to upload videos and make money from advertising that follows the video as it travels around the internet. But, to be sure that users aren't making money off of someone else's stuff, Revver staff go through all the content that is uploaded. Read more...