Fair Use in the Digital Age

Guest: Peter Midgley, Director of the BYU Copyright Licensing Office  When political campaigns are in full swing, it’s common to see musicians and media outlets complain when a candidate they don’t like uses their music or soundbites in their campaign material.  Donald Trump’s been getting a lot of pushback from musicians including Adele and REM for playing their music at his rallies.  Regular folks can run afoul of fair use laws, too, when they post a video of themselves lip synching or their kids dancing adorably to a hit song. If the video goes viral, the risks are much higher.   The boundaries of what’s fair use and what’s not under the law are harder than ever to distinguish in this day when anyone can easily borrow someone else’s work, put their own twist on it and share it with the world.