I would make a "fair use" exception for reviews. Movie reviews need shots from the movie, especially when trying to critique each scene. In such a case, it's obviously not original photos.
Also, how does fair use work with writing about current events and public figures? One can't be expected to get their own photos of political figures when trying to write about politics.
I 100% agree that most people should be taking their own photos rather than stealing photos from all over the internet. I work as a content creator and this is a constant problem with company employees. I just think there are instances where it is difficult to create content about our culture without borrowing source material.
How would any historian be able to have any pictures without using others' work, oftentimes of those who are long dead and cannot give consent?
Hey @robmolecule, this can be an interesting and good topic to discuss. All tough I think that the "fair use" policy is a wide topic. I would ask myself if it would be still considered "Fair Use" if I would earn money on using copyrighted work.
There are four factors that you need to keep in mind when you would write about political figures.
Since most content published on Steemit is for commercial use, you cannot publish copyrighted work that is not licensed under the four different Creative Commons licenses mentioned in the blog post above. While I am not sure if declining pay-out is seen as the right way to point out that the post is not published for commercial intend, I find it riskily to use copyrighted work on the Steemit Platform.
Hopefully this would cover your question regarding the copyright fair use policy and Steemit.