GIFs as Quotations Under EU Copyright Law

Abstract

The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), an image format that allows for very short, downgraded video clips, has gained massive presence on the internet in the recent years due to the increasing availability of bandwidth and server space that allows even small websites to make a large impact by including moving images in what would otherwise be a wall of text. However, GIF files are made using excerpts of copyrighted content – which could be a violation of the author’s rights in such material. This paper explores the possible defense to the use of GIF files under EU Copyright Law by looking into the exception provided for the use of quotations under the law.