Fair use is a familiar term to those who are interested in copyright law. Many understand it as a legal principle that somehow justifies the use of copyrighted material, especially since bloggers, filmmakers, artists and other content creators in the digital age tend to be vocal proponents of the concept. But despite the buzz, fair use is not a blanket defense against copyright liability or even a consistent of law.

As businesses continue to develop creative ways to monetize information in the digital age, friction has developed between the companies that create content and the companies that stand to profit from new models of distribution. In February, the United States District Court in New York addressed some of the basic issues faced by online media outlets when it issued a ruling in favor of the Associated Press (AP) in its lawsuit against online news aggregator All Headline News Corporation.