Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2016

Mark your calendars! Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2016—a community celebration of fair use and fair dealing coordinated by the Association of Research Libraries—will take place February 22–26.

What is Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week?

Each day teachers teach, students learn, researchers advance knowledge, and consumers access copyrighted information due to exemptions in copyright law, such as fair use in the United States or fair dealing in Canada and other jurisdictions. Fair use and fair dealing allow the use of copyrighted materials without permission from the copyright holder under certain circumstances. For libraries, educational institutions, and the public, the fair use doctrine is the most important limitation on the rights of the copyright owner—the “safety valve” of US copyright law.

Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week is an annual celebration of the doctrine of fair use and fair dealing. It celebrates the important role fair use plays in achieving the Constitutional purpose of intellectual property rights in the US: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts. The flexible nature of the fair use doctrine has permitted copyright to adapt to new technologies and changes. Similarly, in Canada, fair dealing is a critical right of the user intended to facilitate balance in copyright law and accommodate freedom of expression.

While Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2016 will be celebrated February 22–26, we believe that every week is fair use/fair dealing week. Indeed, fair use and fair dealing are employed on a daily basis by students, faculty, librarians, journalists, and all users of copyrighted material. Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week is simply a time to promote and discuss the opportunities presented by fair use and fair dealing, celebrate successful fair use stories, and explain the doctrine.

When is Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week?

Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2016 will take place from Monday, February 22, through Friday, February 26. People can participate on a single day during the week, multiple days, or the full week.

How can I participate in Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week?

The level of participation in Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week is entirely up to each participant. Some will publish a blog post on fair use or fair dealing on one day during the week, while others might host events each day of the week. Below are some examples of ways to participate in Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2016:

• Write a blog post on fair use/fair dealing.
• Publish an op-ed.
• Host a live panel on fair use at your campus, institution, or organization.
• Host a webcast or webinar.
• Create a video about fair uses/fair dealings.
• Publicize fair use on social media using the hashtag #fairuseweek2016.
  (On Twitter, you can also follow and tag @fairuseweek.)
• Submit fair use success stories for the Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week blog on Tumblr to Kyle Courtney (kyle_courtney@harvard.edu)

More information

Visit http://www.fairuseweek.org or e-mail krista@arl.org for additional information. The website has many resources including blog posts, archived webcasts, videos, and an infographic. The website will continually be updated to reflect new informaiton and links to additional resources.

View tweets from Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week 2016 on Storify.