World's First Fair Use Day Attracts Interest ­ And Signs that Congress Doesn't Understand It

The consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge on Tuesday hosted the first-ever World Fair Use Day.

"Fair use" refers to the defense, under the copyright statute, that permits individuals and businesses to make use of others' copyrighted material under certain circumstances. The keynote speaker was Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), who told the attendees how Congress as a whole sees the issue of mixing and mashups ­ they don't understand it. Additionally, Doyle defended the rights of artists and reaffirmed his support of the doctrine. He also warned about actions being taken by the U.S. trade representative in the Anti-Conterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations. And he acknowledged that many congressional officials want the process to be more transparent.