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**Time and Text Limits** Fair use allows a certain amount of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders. However, there are limits when it comes to the amount of text and time you can use of a copyrighted material. The copyright protections govern the use of audio, video, images, and text on the Internet. The more text used is less likely to be considered fair use. Also, if the amount of text use is 50% or greater of the entire work, it is then considered unfair use of the copyrighted work.

It is also suggested that when doing a school presentation on Power Point or another software that the time you use of an audio clip is 30 seconds or less. However, you can replay the same 30 seconds over and over. But you cannot use anymore of a copyrighted song or audio recording. There are consequences regarding the violation of the law, such as fines up to $75 for first offense and $250 for second offense. Third offense can get very serious resulting in fines as high as $500.

There is lots of copyrighted material all over the Internet and many other places, but there is also some that can be used freely. For example, works that lack originality like the phone book or reprints of public domains are not copyrighted. Also, US Government works, facts, and ideas, processes, and methods used in copyrighted works can be freely used. There is also Free ware, which is basically protected by the law but the author has decided to make it available with no restrictions. However, there may be some confusion when it comes to whether a work has a copyright sign or not. If the work is published after March 1989, the absence of a copyright sign means nothing. But, if it was published before then and doesn't have a copyright symbol, it may be in the public domain.
 * Knowing if the Work is Protected**

However, there are many rules pertaining whether or not a work is in the public domain or not. This means a work that has no copyright and can be freely used. Any work published in or before the year 1922 is now available in the public domain. But, works published in the year 1923 to the year 1978 (inclusive) are protected for 95 years. Although if an author did not renew their work it could be free for use. After 1978, the protection of published works runs for 70 years from the date the author dies.

**Image:** http://search.creativecommons.org/?q=copyright&sourceid=Mozilla-search

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm http://www.umuc.edu/library/copy.shtml#protect http://www.haverford.edu/acc/docs/policies/copyright/consequences.htm
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