--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is fair use? Fair use is not a law…" description: "\"What is fair use? Fair use is not a law. There's nothing in law.\" — Jack Valenti" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/jack-valenti-22783_copyright_what-is-fair-use-fair-use-is-not-a-law-t_2684317.jpg" --- # What is fair use? Fair use is not a law. There's nothing… ![“What is fair use? Fair use is not a law. There's nothing in law.” quote by Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/jack-valenti-22783_copyright_what-is-fair-use-fair-use-is-not-a-law-t_2684317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/jack-valenti-22783_copyright_what-is-fair-use-fair-use-is-not-a-law-t_2684317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/jack-valenti-22783_copyright_what-is-fair-use-fair-use-is-not-a-law-t_2684317.jpg) > “What is fair use? Fair use is not a law. There's nothing in law.” [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fair use is a legal doctrine allowing limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes like criticism, news, teaching, or parody. **In simple terms:** Limited permission to use copyrighted work for certain purposes. Key Takeaway Understand and apply fair use limits. Themes copyright law creativity education media Mood cautious analytical Type legal educational When to use this quote - content creators - educators - journalists - parody artists - students Key Concepts public domain transformative use balance of rights public interest Questions to Reflect On - How do you determine if a use is fair? - What factors weigh most in your field? A Different Perspective Fair use is case‑by‑case and can be contested in court. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Copyright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copyright/) [Fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair/) [In-laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/in-laws/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) ## Related quotes > [Fair use is a part of United States copyright law. You don't know if it falls under fair use until you go to court.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/fair-use-is-a-part-of-united-states-copyright-law-you-don-t-know-if/) [Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/) > [Fair use is important to innovators as well as consumers. It's fair use that allowed the VCR to innovate on top of the television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-kraus/fair-use-is-important-to-innovators-as-well-as-consumers-it-s-fair/) [Joe Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-kraus/) > [Fair use is always going to be a gray area, and it should be. We need to allow for things we can't see yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-gross/fair-use-is-always-going-to-be-a-gray-area-and-it-should-be-we-need/) Robin Gross > [Media companies, under the guise of piracy, are asking congress to give them more control over fair use. Hollywood wants to control innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/media-companies-under-the-guise-of-piracy-are-asking-congress-to-give/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no fair use to take something that doesn't belong to you. That's not fair use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/there-is-no-fair-use-to-take-something-that-doesn-t-belong-to-you/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [Nothing is of greater importance in time of war than in knowing how to make the best use of a fair opportunity when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/nothing-is-of-greater-importance-in-time-of-war-than-in-knowing-how/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [It is better to use fair means and fail, than foul and conquer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/it-is-better-to-use-fair-means-and-fail-than-foul-and-conquer/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [My music should fall under fair use because it's transformative, it's becoming its own entity, and it's not negatively impacting anyone's sales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/my-music-should-fall-under-fair-use-because-it-s-transformative-it-s/) [Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/) > [Nor aught so good but strained from that fair use, Revolts from true birth stumbling on abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/nor-aught-so-good-but-strained-from-that-fair-use-revolts-from-true/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A huge parasite in the marketplace, feeding and fattening itself off of local television stations and copyright owners of copyrighted material. We do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/a-huge-parasite-in-the-marketplace-feeding-and-fattening-itself-off/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [I'm not sure if it's fair to call it a 'fairy tale,' but I really loved 'Mulan,' the Disney film. It was my favorite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-cole/i-m-not-sure-if-it-s-fair-to-call-it-a-fairy-tale-but-i-really-loved/) [Lily Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-cole/) > [Ah, but you see, I didn't want to be fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/ah-but-you-see-i-didn-t-want-to-be-fair/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [I want my fair share and thats All of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-palast/i-want-my-fair-share-and-thats-all-of-it/) [Greg Palast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-palast/) > [There's nothing fair nor beautiful, but takes Something from thee, that makes it beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/there-s-nothing-fair-nor-beautiful-but-takes-something-from-thee-that/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Our own distrust gives a fair pretence for the knavery of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-own-distrust-gives-a-fair-pretence-for-the-knavery-of-other-people/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) ## More by Jack Valenti > [If movies are causing moral decay, then crime ought to be going up, but crime is going down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/if-movies-are-causing-moral-decay-then-crime-ought-to-be-going-up-but/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [The VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston Strangler is to the woman alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/the-vcr-is-to-the-american-film-producer-and-the-american-public-as/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [If You Cannot Protect What You Own, You Don’t Own Anything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/if-you-cannot-protect-what-you-own-you-don-t-own-anything/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [Foreign capital to build new cinemas will help modernize China's aging cinema infrastructure, attract Chinese consumers back into cinemas, and increase demand for U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/foreign-capital-to-build-new-cinemas-will-help-modernize-china-s/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [Every parent in America has the total power to control all television programming that is dispatched to their home today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/every-parent-in-america-has-the-total-power-to-control-all-television/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [I sleep each night a little better, a little more confidently, because Lyndon Johnson is my president. For I know he lives and thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/i-sleep-each-night-a-little-better-a-little-more-confidently-because/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [It is called the First Amendment. ...Simple words marching in seried ranks. Compact, concise. To the point. Clear and pure. It's freedom's music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/it-is-called-the-first-amendment-simple-words-marching-in-seried/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [I found the most convincing part to be the working stiffs, the guys who have a modest home and kids who go to public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/i-found-the-most-convincing-part-to-be-the-working-stiffs-the-guys/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [If what you own cannot be protected, you own nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/if-what-you-own-cannot-be-protected-you-own-nothing/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [Washington and Hollywood spring from the same DNA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/washington-and-hollywood-spring-from-the-same-dna/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [Film-makers must decide what story to tell and how to tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/film-makers-must-decide-what-story-to-tell-and-how-to-tell-it/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [In a sometimes unreasonable business, Jack Valenti was a giant voice of reason. He was the greatest ambassador Hollywood has ever known and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/in-a-sometimes-unreasonable-business-jack-valenti-was-a-giant-voice/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [The public's nerves are raw and edgy. You have to be discreet and understanding about the films you are showing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/the-public-s-nerves-are-raw-and-edgy-you-have-to-be-discreet-and/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [No one today knows what is indecent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/no-one-today-knows-what-is-indecent/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) > [The only group in America that deserves to scrutinize what we are doing... are parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-valenti/the-only-group-in-america-that-deserves-to-scrutinize-what-we-are/) [Jack Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) [Explore all 27 Jack Valenti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-valenti/) ## More Copyright quotes > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Any replacement to the current copyright position (life plus 70 years) needs to have an answer lined up for this, and similar, messy edge cases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/any-replacement-to-the-current-copyright-position-life-plus-70-years/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [My sense of proprietorship has been so weak that actually I didn't pay attention and I lost the copyrights on a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-sense-of-proprietorship-has-been-so-weak-that-actually-i-didn-t/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I think the reality is that copyright law has for a very long time been a tiny little part of American jurisprudence, far removed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/i-think-the-reality-is-that-copyright-law-has-for-a-very-long-time/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [“In our haste to disseminate news, it should not be forgotten that the Framers intended copyright itself to be the engine of free expression.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-weinstock-netanel/in-our-haste-to-disseminate-news-it-should-not-be-forgotten-that-the/) Neil Weinstock Netanel > [In 2002, Google began an ambitious project to digitize every book in the world. It was intended as a search project: type in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/in-2002-google-began-an-ambitious-project-to-digitize-every-book-in/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [The rights of copyright holders need to be protected, but some draconian remedies that have been suggested would create more problems than they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-leahy/the-rights-of-copyright-holders-need-to-be-protected-but-some/) [Patrick Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-leahy/) > [In India, most people are not aware or are unconcerned about copyright laws. This has proved disastrous for the music fraternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilaiyaraaja/in-india-most-people-are-not-aware-or-are-unconcerned-about-copyright/) [Ilaiyaraaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilaiyaraaja/) > [You need to recognize that the copyright date on a book reflects when it came out, not when it was written - assume that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/you-need-to-recognize-that-the-copyright-date-on-a-book-reflects-when/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [Whenever a copyright law is to be made or altered, then the idiots assemble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/whenever-a-copyright-law-is-to-be-made-or-altered-then-the-idiots/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [But, like all metaphoric wars, the copyright wars are not actual conflicts of survival. Or at least, they are not conflicts for survival of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/but-like-all-metaphoric-wars-the-copyright-wars-are-not-actual/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [I have a hunch that the unknown sequences of DNA will decode into copyright notices and patent protections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/i-have-a-hunch-that-the-unknown-sequences-of-dna-will-decode-into/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [Napster's only alleged liability is for contributory or vicarious infringement. So when Napster's users engage in noncommercial sharing of music, is that activity copyright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boies/napster-s-only-alleged-liability-is-for-contributory-or-vicarious/) [David Boies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boies/) > [I'm a bit cynical that it ever will be addressed properly. I think it is healthy to get some sort of copyright protection. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/i-m-a-bit-cynical-that-it-ever-will-be-addressed-properly-i-think-it/) [Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/) > [The U.S. obviously has all the evidence they need to prosecute bankers. They just need to search their own spy database and then there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dotcom/the-u-s-obviously-has-all-the-evidence-they-need-to-prosecute-bankers/) [Kim Dotcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dotcom/) [Browse all 235 Copyright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copyright/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is fair use? Fair use is not a law. 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