Lesson 4: Permitted Uses and Exceptions
Every country’s copyright laws recognize that a third party should be able to do certain things with a copyright work without having to ask for permission or having to pay a licence fee. Permitted uses of copyright works vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Most common law countries recognize a broad-based, general exception to copyright infringement where a third party’s use is considered to be fair.
This broad-based exception is commonly referred to as ”fair dealing” or ”fair use.” In Continental European countries that follow the civil law tradition, any permitted uses of a copyright work have to be listed in the legislation. These jurisdictions don’t recognize the same kind of catch-all as fair use or fair dealing.
As with all other forms of IP, always check with experts to ensure that you know what rights you have, how they are protected and for how long.