Legal exceptions to copyright (other than library or classroom exceptions, under which the use of the music in the slide show doesn't fall) are basically determined by "fair use." Fair use is a case-by-case determination; the fact that a work is intended for an educational purpose does not automatically make it eligible for the fair use exception. When deciding whether or not your use constitutes fair use, there are four factors to help you decide... and ALL FOUR factors must be taken into consideration, not just one or two. 1. Purpose and character of the use. The fact that the museum is a nonprofit educational organization often helps toward the interpretation of fair use, but NOT in the case of material in a for-sale product. Furthermore, recent court cases have focused on "transformative use" (i.e., whether the copyrighted work is improved upon or incorporated into a new form of expression), but clearly this is NOT the case with the slide show music. From what you've written, I don't believe the slide show music passes this first test. 2. Nature of the copyrighted work. Works that involve more creativity (like art and music) generally have a higher protection of copyright than more mundane materials like reference works. 3. Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole. Generally the greater the amount taken, the less likely it is that a court will find the use fair. I can't tell from your post whether or not the "snippet" taken was substantial, but the court has also shown that even a small amount taken may be unfair if the material taken is the "heart" of the work (e.g., the chorus or title of a song). 4. Effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. To negate fair use, it only needs to be shown that if the challenged use should become widespread, it would adversely affect the potential market for the copyrighted work. (E.g., if every museum used the music in the same way as you did in the slide show, would sale of the music suffer?) Reviewing these four criteria, it seems to me that the museum does NOT meet the fair use standard of copyright for using the material, let alone selling it. The fact that you're a non-profit has no bearing here, and the fact that it's unlikely that the music industry will come after you is, to me, more of an ethical decision for you. My bottom line is always imagining that it's MY work someone ELSE is taking to use and imagining how I might feel. (Ms) Allyn Lord Assistant Director Rogers Historical Museum 322 S. Second St. Rogers, AR 72756 479/621-1154; fax 479/621-1155 [log in to unmask] www.rogersarkansas.com/museum ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).