The Fair Dealing exception in the Copyright Act permits the use of copyrighted material without permission or payment of copyright fees, provided the copying passes a two-step test. The first step is to check that the copying is for one of the specific purposes outlined in the Act.

Question 1

Are you making this copy for one of the following fair dealing purposes?

• Private Study - for the recipient’s individual study and review; includes copies made by teachers for their students
• Research  - broadly defined to include all kinds of research, including research for personal interest and consumer research
• Criticism - may include academic or literary criticism; also commentary, and critiques
• Review  - discussion of artistic merit and disclosure of facts and events
• News Reporting  - traditional print, radio and television reporting, as well as newsletters and blogs
• Education - includes copies made by teachers or instructors at an educational institution, on behalf of their students, for the purpose of education
• Parody  - use of a work for the purpose of parody
• Satire  - use of a work for the purpose of satire

Note that almost all copies made for educational purposes will pass this first step test.

Select Your Answer:

Yes If you answered YES to the above question, proceed to STEP 2 - IS YOUR COPYING FAIR?

No If you answered NO to the above question, you may need to look at alternative options for making the copy.

Not Sure If you answered I AM NOT SURE to the above question, please contact the Copyright Officer for assistance with making this determination.