Is personal profit considered a legitimate reason for fair use?

Fair use in copyright law is fundamentally about balancing the interests of copyright holders with the broader goals of the public interest, like education, criticism, or commentary. Personal profit, which involves generating financial gain from the use of a copyrighted work, is generally not a valid justification for claiming fair use. The doctrine of fair use specifically includes factors that weigh against commercial exploitation, as it aims to prevent harm to the market for the original work.

In most analyses of fair use, one of the key considerations is whether the use is commercial or educational. If the purpose of use is to profit personally, it shifts the focus toward the commercial value of the original work and often argues against fair use. Thus, personal profit is seen as a significant deterrent to establishing a fair use claim. The emphasis on non-commercial or transformative uses in various interpretations of fair use underscores the idea that the use must provide some societal benefit rather than simply serving the user's financial interests.

Therefore, asserting that personal profit is a legitimate reason for fair use is inconsistent with the principles of copyright law, making the choice that states it is never a legitimate reason accurately reflect the legal framework surrounding fair use.