US Trademarks

Copyrighted material may be used without permission until the Fair Use doctrine. Fair Use may protect commentary and criticism or parody. Fair Use is determined based on four factors, but interpretations vary widely. The four factors are:

1. the purpose and character of the use
2. the nature of the copyrighted work
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion taken
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for the copyrighted work