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Society for Cinema and Media Studies’ Statement of Fair Use for Media Studies Publishing

Members of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies—film and media studies professors—defined how fair use applies to their research practices. This document concerns fair use in quotation for illustration or proof of argument or to stimulate discussion, whether in text, multimedia, or as media bundled with text. More information is available at the SCMS website

Society for Cinema and Media Studies Statement on Fair Use for Teaching Film and Media Educators

Members of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies—film and media studies professors—defined how fair use applies to their teaching practices. This document concerns fair use in classroom situations, in broadcast, repurposing within new works, and in online distance education. More information is available at the SCMS website

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for OpenCourseWare

This document is a code of best practices designed to help those preparing OpenCourseWare (OCW) to interpret and apply fair use under United States copyright law.

Best Practices in Fair Use of Dance-related Materials

This Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use of Dance-related Materials, produced by the Dance Heritage Coalition, clarifies what librarians, archivists, curators, and others working with dance-related materials currently regard as a reasonable application of the Copyright Act’s fair use doctrine, where the use of copyrighted materials is essential to significant cultural missions and institutional goals.

Teaching about Copyright and Fair Use for Media LIteracy Education

Media Education Lab
The Media Education Lab at Temple University has created a whole set of Curriculum Materials for teaching and understanding copyright and fair use. The materials include lesson plans, songs, case studies, and videos. If you’re interested in learning more about Fair Use in Media Literacy Education, make sure to check out these excellent materials!

Fair Use Language for Course Syllabi[PDF]

In your syllabus, you often have some information on copyright. Here is some language to include in that section, specifically on fair use. This language has been reviewed by lawyers, including law professor Peter Jaszi of American University’s Washington College of Law and Michael Donaldson of Donaldson and Hart law firm, and it has been approved by the University Film and Video Association for use by its members.

Copyright Backgrounder[PDF]

By Michael Donaldson, Esq.
This concise background document describes what copyright is and what can be copyrighted, as well as what material is in the public domain and what is fair useable. Michael Donaldson is an attorney in Los Angeles, many of whose clients are leading documentary filmmakers. His book, Clearance and Copyright (Silman-James Press, October 2003), from which much of this information has been drawn, is widely regarded as a basic text for documentary filmmakers. Donaldson also contributed his expertise to the Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use.

Fair Use Scenarios[PDF]

Here are four scenarios, or hypothetical situations, that a documentary filmmaker might find him or herself facing. The four scenarios are each linked to one of the Statement’s categories. These can be used for classroom discussion, and to inspire you to write other scenarios. The goal of these scenarios is to allow discussion about what the fair and responsible thing to do would be, not to find out “the right answer.” These scenarios thus allow students to consider what they think makes sense, in light of the Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practice to see what professional filmmakers established as principles and limitations.