The first thing that I thought of when I started looking into the concept of fair use was copyright. It turns out that copyright and fair use are two different things. copylaw.com does a good job of laying out what some of the differences are and how to determine if it is fair use or a copyright infringement.

The main differences lay in the purpose of what you are trying to accomplish. The purpose of what you are doing must not be commercial in purpose. Fair use allows people to use copyrighted work for non-profit purposed without getting permission.

From my research though, it seems that nobody seems to have a clear picture of what fair use is. One website, which I am unsure how to title, gives people a better understanding of what fair use is. This site is http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/intellectualProperty/copypol2.htm, and it explains some of the struggles that people have in understanding the law.

The most important thing that people can do is site the images and work that they use.

Creative Commons licensing allows you to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt work as long as you are noncommercial, attribute your work, and share alike.

Overall I had trouble finding alternative copyrights. I am sure they are out there and I probably use them a lot. For the most part I am sure that I am just ignorant to what they are.

Commented on Scott's blog and Jeff's blog.