The doctrine of Fair Use, in section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, 1981 rev., specifically addresses the needs of scholars and students by mitigating the rights of copyright ownership. To determine fair use, consider the following four factors:
Permission for copying in excess of fair use - A professor must obtain written permission from the copyright owner to copy a large portion of a work or an entire work, or to produce multiple copies of chapters or periodical articles.
Copyright - copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. Hofheimer Library reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve a violation of copyright law.