Intermediate Copying
Temporary or internal copies made as an incidental step to a later non-infringing use.
CopyrightWatching
Plain-English explanation
Software and search engines often make temporary copies to process data. Courts sometimes treat those copies differently from public distribution.
Legal meaning
Intermediate copying has been recognized as potentially fair or non-infringing when the copy is essential to a transformative process and no greater than necessary, though not all intermediate copies qualify.
AI-specific relevance
Defendants analogize training copies to intermediate copies in search indexing; plaintiffs argue retention and scale defeat that analogy.
Related terms
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Aidicia is an educational legal research portfolio. It does not provide legal advice, create a lawyer-client relationship, or replace advice from a licensed attorney.