I suggest that for most of the purposes of research, the use of the materials in question from the internet are not derivative uses, but novel uses and thus the inclusion of copyrighted material under the rubric of fair use does not matter so long as the inclusion is properly cited and referenced. However, I am not a lawyer and would prefer to hear from some of the notable law professors on this. Because the rule on citing and using texts from the internet, in my opinion, must be the same or a very close rule to using any other copyrighted text. If i can quote and cite from a book as evidence.... then, published materials on the internet must follow a similar rule, no? Jeremy Hunsinger Information Ethics Fellow, Center for Information Policy Research, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (www.cipr.uwm.edu) Words are things; and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. --Byron