Fair Use Guidelines

During and after the enactment of the 1976 U.S. Copyright Act, interested stakeholders representing a variety of interests created fair use guidelines as “safe harbor” standards. In H.R. 94-1476 (related to the Copyright Act), Congress included an initial set of Guidelines for Classroom Copying in Not-for-Profit Educational Institutions with Respect to Books and Periodicals. During later years, the Conference on Fair Use (CONFU) was established to help resolve copyright issues within emerging technology. CONFU released draft guidelines on distance education, multimedia, images, electronic reserve services in libraries, and interlibrary loan, but no consensus agreement was ever reached. Because the guidelines remain in draft only, it is important to note that they are not the law and often express minimum standards for fair use.

While many institutions strictly adhere to the CONFU guidelines, Brigham Young University has chosen not to adopt them as official standards for the campus community. They are provided here for reference and information only.

Complete Conference on Fair Use (CONFU) report, United States Patent and Trademark Office

Classroom Guidelines 1976, Agreement on Guidelines for Classroom Copying in Not-For-Profit Educational Institutions with Respect to Books and Periodicals, Published in House Report 94-1476