Transformative use

"The goal of copyright, to promote science and the useful acts, is generally furthered by the creation of trsnsformative works." For this reason, "the more transformative the new work, the less will be the significance of other factors, like commercialism, that may weigh against a finding of fair use."

In general, if the new work "merely supersedes the objects of the original creation," it is not transformative, but if it "adds something new, with a further purpose or different character, altering the first with new expression, meaning, or message," it is transformative. Transformative uses add new information, new aesthetics, new insights, and new understandings. Such uses may include criticizing the copyrighted work, "exposing the character of the original author, proving a fact," or representing the original work in order to defend or rebut it.