TurnItIn archiving of student papers is ruled "fair use"

ZDNet reports that the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Northern District Court of Virginia's summary judgement that TurnItIn.com's use of the student papers was fair use and not copyright infringement. TurnItInis a service marketed to high schools and colleges in which student papers are entered into a database and then pattern-checked for signs of plagiarism. Several students in Northern Virginia had filed a lawsuit against them claiming copyright infringement.