What counts as fair use and what can you actually steal online?

Ever seen someone get sued for posting a meme or clip? Copyright law’s a minefield, but there’s a way to navigate it without getting wrecked. Fair use exists, but it’s not a free pass—transformative work, commentary, and minimal use help, but commercial use? Big nope.

I once got a takedown for a 10-second clip in a gaming video. Turns out, even short clips can trigger claims if they’re the "heart" of the original. Now I only use clips under 5 seconds with heavy commentary.

What’s your go-to rule for staying safe? Anyone else paranoid about accidental infringement?