Law Commons^™

Fair Use Vs. Fared Use: The Impact Of Automated Rights Management On Copyright's Fair Use Doctrine, Tom W. Bell

Tom W. Bell

A combination of powerful new technologies and existing legal doctrines threatens to reduce the scope of copyright's fair use defense in digital intermedia. In place of fair use, these influences will give rise to a system of fared use. Fared use seems certain to improve the efficiency of copyright law. It raises questions of equity, however, by offering copyright owners increased compensation without guaranteeing the public increased access to copyrighted works. This paper addresses those concerns. Fared use would make copyrighted materials in digital intermedia available to the public under a reciprocal quasi-compulsory license. Somewhat paradoxically, this license offers consumers …