The Fair Use doctrine is recognized under U.S. copyright law as an individual right and allows certain uses of copyright protected material without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder. It is intended to serve the public good by allowing use of copyright protected materials for comedy, parody, news reporting, research and education. However, it is important to remember that not every use in an academic setting is automatically considered a fair use.
It is also important to note that fair use must be applied on a case-by-case basis. Simply because an individual complies with fair use in one instance does not guarantee that another use of copyright protected material will be allowable under fair use.