This basic introduction covers Fair Use -- an important limitation to copyright owners' rights - and how it can be a powerful tool for Caltech researchers, faculty, and students. The skills and methods learned in this session are:

• Recognize the scope of Fair Use as defined in US Copyright Law and the opportunities it provides to use copyrighted works without permission in some circumstances
• Distinguish between the Four Factors of Fair Use specified in US Copyright law and apply each one to real-life situations at Caltech
• Perform a Fair Use analysis using the Fair Use Checklist
• Recognize the existence of "Fair Use Codes of Best Practice" and how they can clarify when Fair Use is likely to apply
• Identify the risks associated with using other people's copyrighted works under Fair Use, and the mitigating factors that reduce risk to Caltech users

This program is part of the Caltech Library's Author Carpentry initiative. In addition to the session offered through the Library Instruction calendar, it is available by request for any Caltech group of 6 or more.