Using copyrighted material in your video

Free use vs. Fair Use

n weighing the balance at the heart of fair use analysis, judges refer to four types of considerations mentioned in the law: the nature of the use, the nature of the work used, the extent of the use and its economic effect. This still leaves much room for interpretation, especially since the law is clear that these are not the only necessary considerations. In reviewing the history of fair use litigation, we find that judges return again and again to two key questions: Did the unlicensed use "transform" the material taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a different purpose than that of the original, or did it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original? Was the material taken appropriate in kind and amount, considering the nature of the copyrighted work and of the use? Both questions touch on, among other things, the question of whether the use will cause excessive economic harm to the copyright owner. If the answers to these two questions are "yes," a court is likely to find a use fair. Because that is true, such a use is unlikely to be challenged in the first place.

So where do we find free-use images? Here is a list of our 5 favorite sites for images:

An article with a series of six pictures which could have been arranged in a slide show to tell the story.

A feature on the student media site of a high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It's a collection of pictures and captions that attempt to provide a sense of life at this high school.

PBS NewsHours' Video ClipBoard. Might be useful for J2

2010 NSPA Broadcast Story of the Year Finalists Contest judging and video hosting courtesy of a partnership with RTNDF and SchoolTube.com

"They're not designers, stylists, or magazine editors-yet. The next generation of influential fashion forces is making its mark online with buzzed-about style blogs."