Fair use is one of the exemptions in copyright which allows use of copyrighted materials without obtaining permission as long as the use can be considered fair. There is a four-factor analysis which must be applied to each use to determine whether the use is fair. Each factor is given equal weight. The goal is to achieve a balance between the rights of the copyright holder with the rights of the public. Fair use is also technologically neutral so the same analysis should be applied to any medium.

It is important that the four factor analysis be understood and applied diligently, should someone claim that their copyright has been infringed, the court can reduce the amount of money damages if the alleged infringer can show they understood the fair use analysis and made a good faith determination that their use was fair.