Purpose
Rationale: Congress favors nonprofit
educational uses over commercial uses. Copies used in education,
but made or sold at monetary profit, may not be favored. Courts also
favor uses that are "transformative" or that are not mere reproductions.
Fair use is more likely when the copyrighted work is "transformed" into
something new or of new utility, such as quotations incorporated into a
paper, and perhaps pieces of a work mixed into a multimedia product for
your own teaching needs or included in commentary or criticism of the original.
For teaching purposes, however, multiple copies of some works are specifically
allowed, even if not "transformative." The Supreme Court underscored
that conclusion by focusing on these key words in the statute: "including
multiple copies for classroom use."
Copyright
& Fair Use