So what samples do you guys use and which ones do you stay away from? What are your legal guidelines and understandings.
Mine are that in the end it's all about who owns it and how much they want to stop you. Obviously Disney is more likely to come after you than an 3d student on YouTube (although I like to contact those artists).
But are there any precedents/examples of where someone got sued or contacted and did or didn't get in trouble? I'm not aware of any.
Fair use states 4 characteristics.
the purpose and character of your use
the nature of the copyrighted work
what amount and proportion of the whole work was taken, and
the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
So I've always felt like most vj work would fall under fair use. Using 20 seconds or even 5 mins of a 2 hur movie is a small percentage. Also for potential market value i feel we increase it by showing it to so many people and In unique contexts.