Guide Note

Defend Fair Use is an initiative put forth by the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) to help consumers combat misrepresentation of copyright laws by entertainment companies.

Fast Facts

1. Filed a complaint about big media companies to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
2. Claims media companies mislead the public as to what they can and cannot do with copyrighted material¹
3. Complaint singles out the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NBC-Universal, and others
4. Website has a petition to take action against misleading copyright warnings
5. A 2007 study by Capital Trade Inc. found that fair use copyright limitations add $2.2 trillion to the United States economy²

Fair use laws allow the use of copyrighted material (or portions thereof) without the owner's permission under certain circumstances. Some of these circumstances may include educational purposes, criticism, research and reporting.³