fair use
noun
: a legal doctrine that portions of copyrighted materials may be used without permission of the copyright owner provided the use is fair and reasonable, does not substantially impair the value of the materials, and does not curtail the profits reasonably expected by the owner
Examples of fair use in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If a model can accidentally produce a frame that looks too much like Darth Vader, Homer Simpson, Snoopy, or Elsa, the fair use defense begins to fray.
—
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
Jones’ tweet constituted fair use, the board explained, for several reasons.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 2 Dec. 2025
Or, a startup that mined a carmaker’s blueprints and claimed fair use.
—Gerard Scimeca, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
In June 2025, Judge William Alsup ruled on summary judgement that books could still be used without permission if they were acquired legally, and were considered fair use.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fair use
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Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
Jones’ tweet constituted fair use, the board explained, for several reasons.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 2 Dec. 2025
Or, a startup that mined a carmaker’s blueprints and claimed fair use.
—Gerard Scimeca, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
In June 2025, Judge William Alsup ruled on summary judgement that books could still be used without permission if they were acquired legally, and were considered fair use.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fair use
Cite this Entry
“Fair use.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair%20use. Accessed 14 Dec. 2025.
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