Opinion ID: 2959692
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Purpose and Character of the Work

Text: The first factor—the purpose and character of the allegedly infringing work—requires consideration of “(1) whether the use serves a nonprofit educational purpose, as opposed to a commercial purpose; and (2) the degree to which the work is a transformative use, as opposed to a merely superseding use, of the copyrighted work.” Peter Letterese & Assocs., Inc. v. World Inst. of Scientology Enters., 533 F.3d 1287, 1309 (11th Cir. 2008) (quotation omitted). The district court did not err in concluding Chevaldina’s use of the work was both noncommercial and transformative. Every use of the Photo on the blog was of a primarily educational, rather than commercial, character. Chevaldina unabashedly criticized and commented on the dealings of Katz, his businesses, and his lawyers. Chevaldina’s blog posts sought to warn and educate others about the alleged nefariousness of Katz, and she made no money from her use of the photo. See 17 U.S.C. § 107 (designating “criticism” and “comment” as fair use). Katz argues the Photo served a primarily commercial purpose because, in a March 4, 2012, blog post, Chevaldina said she was “in the process of writing a book ‘Why RK Centers Was The Wrong Choice.’” Thus, Katz argues, Chevaldina district court was not required to write a prolix, unwieldy opinion with 25 separate sections devoted to each alleged instance of infringement. 6 Case: 14-14525 Date Filed: 09/17/2015 Page: 7 of 12 used the Photo to advertise for commercial book sales. Chevaldina’s reference to her intention to write a book about her experiences with Katz does not alone, however, transform the blog post into a commercial venture. Overall, the blog post retains her educational purpose of lambasting Katz and deterring others from conducting business with him. See March 4, 2012 Blog Post (“I hope my book will help ambitious people in their dream to be successful without selling the[ir] soul to the [d]evil.”). Moreover, the link between Chevaldina’s commercial gain and her copying of the Photo was attenuated given that Chevaldina never wrote a book nor made any profits whatsoever. See Swatch Grp. Mgmt. Servs. Ltd. v. Bloomberg L.P., 756 F.3d 73, 83 (2d Cir. 2014) (discounting commercial nature of use where “the link between the defendant’s commercial gain and its copying is attenuated such that it would be misleading to characterize the use as commercial exploitation” (quotations and alterations omitted)). Chevaldina’s use of the Photo was also transformative. A use is transformative when it “adds something new, with a further purpose or different character, altering the first with new expression, meaning, or message.” See Campbell, 510 U.S. at 579, 114 S. Ct. at 1171. Chevaldina’s use of the Photo was transformative because, in the context of the blog post’s surrounding commentary, she used Katz’s purportedly “ugly” and “compromising” appearance to ridicule and satirize his character. See Swatch, 756 F.3d at 84 (“Courts often find such uses 7 Case: 14-14525 Date Filed: 09/17/2015 Page: 8 of 12 [of faithfully reproduced works] transformative by emphasizing the altered purpose or context of the work, as evidenced by the surrounding commentary or criticism.”); A.V. ex el Vanderhye v. iParadigms, LLC, 562 F.3d 630, 639 (4th Cir. 2009) (“The use of a copyrighted work need not alter or augment the work to be transformative in nature.”); Suntrust Bank v. Houghton Mifflin Co., 268 F.3d 1257, 1270 (11th Cir. 2001) (finding transformative use where work was “principally and purposefully a critical statement”). Chevaldina’s use of the Photo was noncommercial and transformative. Accordingly, the first factor weighs in favor of fair use.