Intellectual Property Law

Fair Use Has Value

By Michael Scott

For many years (probably since fair use began), copyright owners have viewed fair use as some sort of government sponsored piracy of their creative efforts. But since a copyright has never been viewed as a monopoly, and the rights granted are constrained by the constitutional grant, fair use has always been viewed as part of the ?bargain? struck by copyright law.

A recent study by the Computer & Communications Industry Association shows that there are many industries that rely upon the fair use doctrine, and that those industries contribute significantly to the U.S. economy. The study was done using the same methodology as used by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in determining the amount of revenue lost from the copyright industries. (More after the jump.)

Full post as published by Singularity on September 18, 2007 (boomark / email).