About

Accellier is the provider of choice for thousands of people and hundreds of organisations in Australia and around the world. Under our former name SAVE Training, we built a solid foundation on which Accellier now stands, embodying almost 10 years of service to Australia’s Tertiary and Vocational Education Sector. As a testament to this, since our inception in 2010 we have spent only a few thousand dollars on advertising. Our clients are almost entirely referred from our happy graduates and business customers.

Accellier is the trading name of SAVE Training Pty Ltd and is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO 32395) that offers a range of nationally recognised courses in education and business Australia wide through our online and face to face courses.

Our mission is to enhance people’s value through excellence in service and learning outcomes.

Professional Development Webinar Recording

In this session Jasmin Quirk is joined by the wonderful Liesl Fitzpatrick, Senior Manager, Education Licensing at The Copyright Agency.

The session is a great overview of important copyright considerations for Registered Training Organisations (RTO) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) Trainers and Assessors.

Before you read any further, this is not some dull legalese fluff!

The most commonly cited feedback from participants in this session was around how specific and clear Liesl was in explaining the complexities of copyright, in simple ways, using analogies and examples.

Check out the recording.

Understanding Copyright

Copyright is a legal protection for creators, giving them control over how their original works (like text, images, audio, and video) are used, copied, and shared. It exists to encourage creativity by ensuring creators are rewarded for their work.

Copyright protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. Think of a painting – the specific artwork is protected, but not the concept of painting a landscape.

Generally, copyright for text and images lasts for the creator’s lifetime plus 70 years. After that, it enters the public domain.

Avoiding Copyright Infringement

A blanket Copyright license is the best approach for an RTO. VET trainers and course developers need to be extra careful in seeking permission from the copyright holder without a copyright license.

Many RTOs, especially TAFEs, have agreements (like the statutory education license) that allow for the use of copyrighted materials in education.

Look for the Creative Commons license indication on works. These are often free to use for educational purposes.

RTOs may also have subscriptions to journals, image libraries, etc., granting specific usage rights.

Fair Dealing: Applies to Students – not Educators!

Fair dealing allows for limited use of copyrighted works for research, study, criticism, review, etc. Importantly, this mainly applies to students, not educators.

Best Practice Tips for VET Practitioners

  • Designate someone in the RTO to be the point person for copyright matters.
  • Provide regular training to staff on copyright and licensing.
  • Share resources through your learning management system to control access and manage copyright compliance.
  • Always credit creators whenever you use their work, even if you have permission.
  • Be mindful when modifying someone else’s work. Avoid alterations that could be seen as derogatory.

Key Resources

Liesl mentioned the following helpful resources in the session:

Important notes about this session

This is for informational purposes and not legal advice. Copyright laws vary by country. This information is specific to Australia.

Learn more about Accellier’s VET Professional Development Community

We have a thriving community where you can participate in free events, get certificates and demonstrate leadership among your peers.

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