What this section covers
Most of the data on this site — campaign-finance disclosures, lobbyist registrations, regulatory-board membership, business-entity filings — is government-produced public-records data and is therefore not subject to copyright. Government works produced by federal agencies are in the public domain (17 U.S.C. § 105), and Nevada similarly does not assert copyright over its public-records filings.
The fair-use analysis below applies to the small subset of material on this site that is not in the public domain — primarily photographs hot-linked from the Nevada Legislature's lobbyist directory, brief quotations from news coverage, and any logo or identifying graphic that may carry a third-party copyright.
The four-factor test (17 U.S.C. § 107)
1. Purpose and character of the use
This site is a non-commercial, non-profit publication of news and commentary on matters of significant public concern (campaign finance, lobbying, regulatory capture). It accepts no advertising, no sponsorship, and no donor revenue. The use is transformative in the sense recognized by Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994): material is reproduced in a new context — an accountability registry — that adds critical commentary, analysis, and cross-reference unavailable in the original.
2. Nature of the copyrighted work
The third-party material reproduced here is itself factual and published material — government-issued lobbyist photographs, news quotes from established outlets, public-record filings. Factual works and previously-published works receive less copyright protection than creative or unpublished works (Harper & Row v. Nation Enterprises, 471 U.S. 539 (1985)). This factor weighs in favor of fair use.
3. Amount and substantiality used
We reproduce only what is necessary for the accountability purpose: a single thumbnail-resolution photograph of a registered lobbyist (the same photograph the State of Nevada itself displays in the lobbyist registry); brief quotations from news coverage of public figures; and the names, dates, amounts, and affiliations recorded in public filings. We do not republish full articles, full photo libraries, or substantial portions of any single creative work.
4. Effect on the market for the original
None of the material reproduced here has a meaningful commercial market. Lobbyist registration photographs are produced by the Nevada Legislature for the public's benefit and are made freely available on the State's website. News quotations are short and fully attributed, and they drive readers toward the originating outlet rather than substituting for a paid subscription. Public-records data is, by definition, not for sale. There is no commercial market for the material that this site could plausibly displace.
Conclusion
Under the four-factor analysis required by § 107, our reproduction of public-records-adjacent third-party material is fair use. The Supreme Court has emphasized that fair use is "essential to fulfill copyright's very purpose, '[t]o promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts'" (Google LLC v. Oracle America, Inc., 593 U.S. ___ (2021), Slip Op. at 14, quoting U.S. Const. art. I § 8 cl. 8). Public accountability journalism is a paradigmatic example of that progress.
If you are a copyright holder and disagree with our fair-use assessment for a specific piece of material, the DMCA process describes how to submit a takedown notice. We will evaluate every notice on its merits, and we will respond to abusive notices under § 512(f) and Nevada's anti-SLAPP statute (NRS 41.635 et seq.).