Item Favoring Fair Use

Small quantity

Explanation

Section 107 of the Copyright Law defines how much of a copyrighted work you can reproduce for your teaching.

  1. Poetry: (a) A complete poem if less than 250 words and if printed on not more than two pages or (b) from a longer poem, an excerpt of not more than 250 words.
  2. Prose: (a) Either a complete article, story or essay of less than 2,500 words, or (b) an excerpt from any prose work of not more than 1,000 words or 10% of the work, whichever is less, but in any event a minimum of 500 words.
  3. (Each of the numerical limits stated in "i" and "ii" above may be expanded to permit the completion of an unfinished line of a poem or of an unfinished prose paragraph.)
  4. Illustration: One chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon or picture per book or per periodical issue.
  5. "Special" works: Certain works in poetry, prose, or in "poetic prose" which often combine language with illustrations and which are intended sometimes for children and at other times for a more general audience fall short of 2,500 words in their entirety. Paragraph "ii" above notwithstanding such "special works" may not be reproduced in their entirety; however, an excerpt comprising not more than two of the published pages of such special work and containing not more than 10% of the words found in the text thereof may be reproduced.




Return to Tutorials Index



Return to Academic Integrity Index



Return to Basic Copyright Issues Index



Return to Fair Use Index



Photo Caption: Óðinn