Opinion of the Court
than the U. S. Code or the U. S. Reports, but as a court, we do not have that luxury.
The dissent thus misses the forest for a tree. Its single-minded focus on the value of copying ignores the value of original works. It ignores the statute’s focus on the specific use alleged to be infringing. See n. 10, supra. It waves away the statute’s concern for derivative works. Supra, at 28–29, and n. 17. It fails to appreciate Campbell’s nuance. Supra, at 29–30, 34, n. 21. And it disregards this Court’s repeated emphasis on justification. Supra, at 29–30, and n. 18, 34, n. 21.
The result of these omissions is an account of fair use that is unbalanced in theory and, perhaps relatedly, in tone. The dissent’s conclusion—that whenever a use adds new meaning or message, or constitutes creative progress in the opinion of a critic or judge, the first fair use factor weighs in its favor—does not follow from its basic premise. Fair use instead strikes a balance between original works and secondary uses based in part on objective indicia of the use’s purpose and character, including whether the use is commercial and, importantly, the reasons for copying.
Finally, copyright law is replete with escape valves: the idea–expression distinction; the general rule that facts may not receive protection; the requirement of originality; the legal standard for actionable copying; the limited duration of copyright; and, yes, the defense of fair use, including all its factors, such as whether the amount taken is reasonable in relation to the purpose of the use. These doctrines (and others) provide ample space for artists and other creators to use existing materials to make valuable new works. They account for most, if not all, of the examples given by the dissent, as well as the dissent’s own copying (and the Court’s, too). If the last century of American art, literature, music, and film is any indication, the existing copyright law, of which today’s opinion is a continuation, is a powerful engine of creativity.
