blessedINFRINGEMENT

Blessed infringement is a legal doctrine that allows the use of copyrighted material without permission in certain circumstances. It is based on the principle that the public interest in having access to the copyrighted work outweighs the copyright owner's exclusive rights. This doctrine is most commonly applied in the context of news reporting, where it allows journalists to quote or paraphrase copyrighted works to inform the public about current events.

The concept of blessed infringement was first recognized in the United States in the case of Associated Press v. United States (1994). In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the use of copyrighted material in news reporting is a fair use of the material, and thus does not constitute infringement. Since then, the doctrine has been applied in various other contexts, such as in the use of copyrighted material in academic research and in the creation of derivative works.

However, the doctrine of blessed infringement is not without its limitations. For example, it does not apply to the use of copyrighted material for commercial purposes, such as in the creation of a derivative work for profit. Additionally, the doctrine is subject to the fair use doctrine, which allows for the use of copyrighted material without permission in certain circumstances, such as for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.

In summary, blessed infringement is a legal doctrine that allows the use of copyrighted material without permission in certain circumstances, such as in news reporting. It is based on the principle that the public interest in having access to the copyrighted work outweighs the copyright owner's exclusive rights. However, it is subject to the fair use doctrine and does not apply to the use of copyrighted material for commercial purposes.