19 Reasons to be Thankful for “Fair Use”

Most people don’t realize copyright law impacts what we do every day, including how we watch and listen to entertainment. The principle of “fair use” is part of our nation’s copyright law that allows everyone to use existing material without permission, under certain circumstances. Without this protection of free expression, here’s 19 things you’d be missing out on:

1. Watching sports highlights on Deadspin

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2. Funny news clips on the Daily Show

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3. Posting a campaign speech from your favorite presidential candidate that had music playing in the background

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4. Sharing family videos on YouTube

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5. Dancing to your favorite mashup or remix

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6. Parody movies, such as Spaceballs, Shrek or Austin Powers

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7. SNL spoofs

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8. Homemade Halloween costumes of your favorite character

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9. Coen Brothers' Hail, Caesar

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10. Andy Warhol’s pop art

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11. Watching a movie clip in school

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12. Documentary films, like ESPN’s 30 for 30, Planet Earth and Ken Burns

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13. Libraries making digital copies

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14. Home video recording devices like the VCR and DVD

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15. Comic-Con, fan fiction and other fanworks

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16. The iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Google Android

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17. News clips for your business or congressional office

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18. Cybersecurity research

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19. Or even this Buzzfeed post!

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