Educational/nonprofit uses are favored over commercial uses. While we may consider Wealthy Affiliate to be a 'university' - the courts will not. This is a .com, not a .edu domain. There are several uses that are explicitly appropriate for fair use, i.e., comment, news reporting, research, teaching, etc. However, a finding for fair use depends on the application of all four elements, not just its purpose.

Uses that are "transformative" and not just a reproduction are favored by the courts. When copyrighted works are transformed into something that has a new use or meaning, i.e., quotations used in a blog or perhaps an infographic or other multimedia project, they are seen in a more favorable light.



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techhound Premium Plus
Hey Mel, great coverage on the topic. A note of caution: people should not misconstrue this as legal advice and it should only be used as a means to be aware of the issues. Readers here should use this information at their own risk and not come back to you and say, "Well, Mel said it was okay to do this...", etc.

Best Regards,
Jim
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onmyownterms Premium
Good point, I'll amend the front page.
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bbqfirepit Premium
Very important to consider and incorporate. Most don't even think twice about doing it, and clearly it is not the right way. Thank you for clearing this up.
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dorina62 Premium
Good advice! Thanks for the training!The right to copy, copyright, it belongs to the author, copyright protects work and the efforts of the writer,artist, composer, etc.
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onmyownterms Premium
Agreed. Thanks for commenting.
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dorina62 Premium
You welcome!
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Debs3 Premium
Thank you, Mel!
:)
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onmyownterms Premium
You're welcome.
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theresroth Premium
Thank you, Mel, this is bookmarked!
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onmyownterms Premium
You're welcome.
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