Using Copyrighted Materials in Academic and Creative Work
Using copyrighted material should not be a substitute for creative effort. Your goal should be to understand and demonstrate how the use of a copyrighted work repurposes or transforms the original. For example, you may use copyrighted music for a variety of purposes, but cannot rely on fair use when the goal is simply to establish a mood or convey an emotional tone, or when they employ popular songs simply to exploit their appeal and popularity.
Use language, images, sound, music, and digital media to express and share meaning with an emphasis on transformative uses such as comment and criticism, illustration, stimulating public discussion, or preserving an event or phenomenon.
The Fair Use Evaluator is a tool that can help guide you through the process of making a reasonable fair use determination.
Content based image searches
Reverse image searching allows you to upload an image and retrieve other similar images. Use this technique to:
- Locate the source of an image
- Find higher resolution versions
- Discover webpages where the image appears
- Track down the content creator
- Get information about an image
There are many systems that offer this service; here are two good ones:
