Political videos utilizing Fair Use

The usage of viral videos as a form of public media has grown rapidly in recent years, and political videos are no exception. During this evolution, political videos have begun quoting each other, very often utilizing Fair Use principles in order to provide commentary about other political commentators. Take for example "Hillary 2.0." This video by Hugh Atkin adopts the format of videos by the group Anonymous (another fascinating internet emergence – read this post from Henry Jenkins’ blog to learn more about it). It suggests that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is a machine that, prompted by the success of videos supporting Barack Obama, is studying popular viral videos as a way of infiltrating the consciousness of voters.

This video suggests that political viral videos have not only become popular, but have the power to influence voters. The video also makes a strong case for Fair Use, featuring other viral videos as part of the story it tells.

In other Fair Use news in the political video realm, the McCain Girls’ newest video "Here Comes McCain Again" was recently taken offline due to a copyright claim. The video, which follows in the footsteps of the McCain Girls’ previous web hit "It’s Raining McCain," (see video below) parodies the Eurythmics’ song "Here Comes the Rain Again" to show support for John McCain as a presidential candidate. According to Fair Use, parody is a valid form of quoting copyrighted material. Our research shows that many DIY producers don't understand their Fair Use rights.