Fair Use & Copyright Policy

Effective Date: June 26, 2026
Operator: Shrink the Script, a Kentucky-based educational media project
Contact: contact@shrinkthescript.com
DMCA Contact: legal@shrinkthescript.com

1. Purpose of This Policy

Shrink the Script is an educational media project that uses film, television, and fictional media portrayals to support psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, mental health education, criticism, commentary, scholarship, research, exam preparation, and media literacy.

This policy explains how Shrink the Script may refer to, discuss, quote, describe, summarize, critique, analyze, display, or otherwise use limited third-party copyrighted materials, including films, television shows, trailers, fictional characters, scenes, dialogue, posters, thumbnails, images, clips, scripts, captions, subtitles, promotional materials, and related media.

Shrink the Script’s goal is to provide original educational analysis, not to replace the original works.

2. Educational and Transformative Purpose

Shrink the Script creates original educational content, including articles, question banks, explanations, study materials, media connections, discussion prompts, and related resources.

Some materials may be organized around specific films or fictional portrayals as memory anchors for psychiatric or psychological concepts. For example, a film may be used to help learners remember or discuss depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, addiction, grief, psychosis, personality, family dynamics, or other clinical topics.

Any reference to a film or fictional character is intended to support education, commentary, criticism, scholarship, research, and media analysis. Shrink the Script is not intended to function as a substitute for watching, streaming, renting, purchasing, licensing, or otherwise accessing the original film, show, or media work.

3. Fair Use Under U.S. Copyright Law

Shrink the Script may rely on fair use where appropriate. Fair use is a fact-specific doctrine under U.S. copyright law. No particular use is automatically fair use merely because it is educational, brief, attributed, nonprofit, critical, transformative, or connected to commentary.

When evaluating whether a use may qualify as fair use, Shrink the Script considers the four fair use factors:

A. Purpose and Character of the Use

Shrink the Script favors uses that add new meaning, educational context, clinical explanation, criticism, interpretation, scholarship, or analysis. The purpose should be to teach or analyze psychiatric and psychological concepts, not merely to republish entertainment content.

Paid products, advertising, subscriptions, sponsorships, affiliate links, or other monetization may affect the fair use analysis, but monetization does not automatically prevent fair use.

B. Nature of the Copyrighted Work

Films, television shows, scripts, posters, music, promotional materials, and fictional characters are often highly creative works. Because creative works receive strong copyright protection, Shrink the Script uses caution when referencing or displaying protected material.

C. Amount and Substantiality Used

Shrink the Script aims to use only the amount reasonably necessary for the specific educational, critical, or analytical purpose. Both the quantity and importance of the material matter. Even a short excerpt may raise concern if it captures the “heart” of the original work.

D. Effect on the Potential Market

Shrink the Script avoids uses that could substitute for the original work or interfere with markets for viewing, streaming, purchasing, renting, licensing, teaching guides, clips, stills, posters, or other authorized materials.

No single fair use factor automatically controls the outcome.

4. Core Media Use Principles

Shrink the Script follows these principles when using or referencing third-party media:

  1. Use only what is reasonably necessary for the specific educational or analytical purpose.
  2. Connect third-party material to nearby original commentary, explanation, or criticism.
  3. Prefer paraphrase, description, citation, timestamps, links to authorized sources, original diagrams, or original illustrations when possible.
  4. Avoid using copyrighted material for decoration, entertainment, engagement, search traffic, thumbnail appeal, or aesthetic value alone.
  5. Avoid full films, full episodes, long scenes, scene compilations, full scripts, subtitle files, soundtrack excerpts, or large image galleries.
  6. Avoid uses that allow users to experience the original work without accessing it through authorized channels.
  7. Avoid implying sponsorship, affiliation, approval, or endorsement by rights holders.
  8. Provide attribution where appropriate, while recognizing that attribution alone does not determine whether a use is fair.

5. Film-Anchored Educational Materials

Shrink the Script may publish or sell educational materials organized around specific films or fictional portrayals. These materials are intended to use media as a learning anchor, not as a substitute companion to the film.

Questions, explanations, and study materials should test general psychiatric, psychological, educational, or clinical reasoning concepts. Film references may serve as memory anchors, interpretive examples, or optional discussion prompts.

A learner should be able to understand the educational concept without needing copied film material, while the film connection may make the concept easier to remember.

6. Film Titles, Character Names, and Descriptions

Shrink the Script may use film titles when reasonably necessary to identify the work being discussed.

Where appropriate, Shrink the Script may use general descriptions such as “the protagonist,” “the parent,” “the child,” “the patient,” or “a fictional character,” especially in question stems or clinical teaching examples.

Character names may be used when helpful for commentary, criticism, or clarity, but Shrink the Script avoids unnecessary repetition of character names or film-specific details when general clinical wording is sufficient.

7. Dialogue, Quotes, and Scripts

Shrink the Script generally prefers paraphrase, summary, and thematic description over direct quotation.

Direct quotations from films, television shows, scripts, or dialogue should be used only when the exact wording is necessary for commentary, criticism, teaching, or analysis. Any quoted material should be brief, relevant, and accompanied by original commentary.

Shrink the Script does not publish full scripts, substantial script excerpts, subtitle files, or collections of dialogue.

8. Images, Posters, Thumbnails, Screenshots, and Clips

Shrink the Script may occasionally use images, posters, thumbnails, screenshots, still frames, or other visual materials where they directly support educational commentary, criticism, or analysis.

Shrink the Script uses heightened caution with:

  • film posters and cover art;
  • promotional images;
  • screenshots and still frames;
  • thumbnails and social media preview images;
  • video clips;
  • GIFs;
  • music or soundtrack excerpts;
  • subtitle or caption excerpts.

Shrink the Script avoids using third-party media merely for decoration, branding, product covers, advertising, social media attention, or visual appeal.

Video clips, GIFs, music, soundtrack excerpts, full scenes, scene compilations, scripts, and subtitle files are higher-risk uses and should be avoided unless specifically reviewed.

9. Original and AI-Assisted Illustrations

Shrink the Script may use original editorial illustrations, including AI-assisted illustrations, to express psychological themes, ideas, and educational concepts.

AI-assisted illustrations should be independently composed, symbolic, and original. They should not recreate or closely imitate any specific film still, poster, actor likeness, character, costume, camera angle, lighting setup, scene, production design, or recognizable copyrighted composition.

The goal of an illustration should be to communicate a psychological idea in a new visual language, not to create a substitute or derivative version of any copyrighted film image.

10. Clinical and Educational Sources

Shrink the Script may cite psychiatric, psychological, medical, and educational sources, including peer-reviewed articles, textbooks, professional resources, and public educational materials.

Citations are used to support clinical and educational claims. They are not used to imply that a fictional character has been definitively diagnosed.

Shrink the Script avoids copying long passages, proprietary tables, diagnostic criteria, commercial question-bank content, confidential exam materials, or protected educational materials without permission or appropriate review.

11. Original Question Content

Shrink the Script’s questions, answer choices, explanations, rationales, and teaching notes are intended to be original educational content.

Shrink the Script does not knowingly use recalled exam questions, proprietary board questions, commercial question-bank content, confidential testing materials, or materials that violate testing, school, employer, licensing-body, or confidentiality rules.

Any references to USMLE, NBME, NBOME, AAMC, ABPN, PRITE, APA, or other educational, testing, or professional organizations are for descriptive educational purposes only. Shrink the Script is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or approved by those organizations unless expressly stated.

12. User Comments and Submitted Content

Shrink the Script may allow user comments on posts. Comments may be reviewed before publication and may be approved, rejected, edited, removed, disabled, or restricted at Shrink the Script’s discretion.

Users may not post:

  • copyrighted scripts, long dialogue excerpts, screenshots, clips, or infringing material;
  • links to pirated streams, downloads, or unauthorized copies;
  • defamatory, harassing, invasive, or misleading statements;
  • claims diagnosing real people;
  • personal medical information;
  • requests for individualized diagnosis, treatment, or clinical advice;
  • spam, abusive content, or content inconsistent with the site’s educational purpose.

Comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Shrink the Script.

13. No Affiliation or Endorsement

Shrink the Script is an independent educational media project.

Unless expressly stated, Shrink the Script is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, approved by, or connected to any film studio, streaming platform, distributor, actor, filmmaker, production company, publisher, testing organization, licensing board, medical association, university, or rights holder.

All third-party titles, names, images, clips, characters, trademarks, logos, and related materials remain the property of their respective owners.

14. DMCA and Copyright Complaints

Shrink the Script respects copyright rights and will respond to appropriate copyright complaints.

If you believe material on Shrink the Script infringes your copyright, you may send a copyright complaint to:

DMCA Contact: legal@shrinkthescript.com

A copyright complaint should include:

  1. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
  2. Identification of the material claimed to be infringing and information reasonably sufficient to locate it.
  3. Your contact information.
  4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  5. A statement that the information in your notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
  6. Your physical or electronic signature.

Shrink the Script may remove or disable access to material in response to a copyright complaint.

15. Counter-Notifications

If your material is removed because of a copyright complaint and you believe the removal was mistaken or misidentified, you may submit a counter-notification where legally appropriate.

A counter-notification should include:

  1. Identification of the removed material and where it appeared before removal.
  2. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed or disabled because of mistake or misidentification.
  3. Your name, address, phone number, and email address.
  4. A statement consenting to jurisdiction as required by applicable DMCA procedures.
  5. Your physical or electronic signature.

Shrink the Script may forward counter-notifications to the original complaining party where appropriate.

16. Repeat Infringer Policy

Shrink the Script may terminate, block, restrict, or refuse access to users or contributors who repeatedly infringe copyright or repeatedly violate this policy.

Shrink the Script may also restrict comments, submissions, accounts, or participation for users who repeatedly post infringing material, unauthorized quotes, links to pirated content, defamatory claims, medical misinformation, harassment, or requests for individualized clinical advice.

17. Permissions and Licensing

Shrink the Script may seek permission, licensing, or rights-cleared alternatives for uses that involve heightened risk, including extended clips, high-resolution stills, posters used decoratively, paid courses, paid downloads, marketing materials, music, scripts, subtitle files, social video, merchandise, or other uses where fair use is uncertain.

Shrink the Script may also use public domain, Creative Commons, licensed, stock, original, or rights-cleared materials where appropriate. License terms and public domain status should be verified before use.

18. Changes to This Policy

Shrink the Script may update this policy from time to time. Continued use of the website, purchase of materials, submission of comments, or contribution of content after changes may constitute acceptance of the updated policy.

19. Contact

For general questions: contact@shrinkthescript.com
For copyright complaints: legal@shrinkthescript.com