ALIA 2001 TAFE libraries conference

Copyright under control? : A vet partnership

Author and Presenter: Kathy Sharrad, ALIATec

Biography:

I am currently employed by the Department of Education, Training & Employment in South Australia as the Project Officer [SA] - AEShareNet, a National Project funded by DETYA (Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs) and ANTA (Australian National Training Authority). I have held this position at .5 since May 2000. The project is housed within the iNFOSPEC Unit (LEARN Information Specialist Services) where I also hold a .5 Library Technician position. The unit provides specialist services to the South Australia TAFE learning resource centers and libraries network known as LEARN.

I graduated in 1993 from the Adelaide Institute of TAFE with an Associate Diploma in Library and Information Studies, and am currently upgrading to the Advanced Diploma of Library and Information Studies. I have a background of some 13 years in TAFE libraries, working in both client and audiovisual services. Earlier this year, I took on the challenge of part time lecturing in the Library Studies Unit at the Adelaide Institute of TAFE, teaching Online Multimedia Equipment Usage. I have been an active library technician member of ALIA since my graduation, and have held the positions of both Secretary and President of the ALIA, Library Technician Section [SA], and currently hold the office of ALIA, President, National Library Technician Section 2000-20001.

Abstract:

AEShareNet is an innovative concept conceived by the national bodies DETYA and ANTA, for managing the complex copyright issues in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector across Australia. The structure consists of AEShareNet Ltd., the company, and local operations in each of the States/Territories. AEShareNet Ltd., is a virtual company with an Internet based central system called AEShareNet Central, to which records from the local AEShareNet databases are uploaded and made accessible to all members via a web site.

AEShareNet facilitates the national transactions of copyright licenses for the VET sector, the identification, usage and marketing of VET material through an online database that incorporates three components of members, licenses and materials into a single system. The system streamlines copyright licensing of materials produced in Australia, making it quick, simple, cheap and effective, and provides simplified access to VET materials that have been produced or are under development, and it is the first national database of education and training materials for the VET sector.

The paper outlines the background, the concept, the operation of the AEShareNet system, the implementation of the project in South Australia, and highlights the future directions and benefits of AEShareNet to all VET stakeholders.

Introduction

Over the years considerable public funding has been invested in the development of VET sector materials in Australia. Materials comprising of training packages, teaching, learning and assessment materials, that are developed to support the delivery of training and leading to nationally recognised qualifications throughout Australia.

Rapid advancements in technology to date, especially the use of the internet have also made it perhaps a little too easy for others to adapt, reproduce and re-develop standard or core materials that are common in education and training throughout the world. Ease of access and technology has also been instrumental in aiding the fragmented ownership of intellectual property within the material, making it very difficult and often impossible to identify and trace multiple copyright owners.

Growing concerns from the funding bodies regarding the necessity to protect this investment against competitors in the international training markets, provided the impetus needed to review the current method of operation of the management of VET sector materials and the investment of publicly funded monies. It has generated a need to develop a system that identifies and protects the investment, incorporating a more cost effective method of licensing products, together with clarification of copyright ownership of VET materials, both print and online.

Background to the project

Since 1996 DETYA have been seeking a solution to the difficulties of the management of intellectual property and the cost of conventional licensing of materials produced by the VET sector in Australia. Licensing of the material through conventional methods has proved costly over the years and is often out of proportion to the value of the materials. The difficulties of copyright clarification, copyright licensing arrangements being overlooked or ignored, and possible breaches of copyright legislation resulting in legal complications arising from this also needed to be addressed. The increasing use of on-line delivery of training and other flexible delivery modes, and the development of support materials added to the necessity of clarifying and streamlining the management of intellectual property across the VET sector.

It was obvious to the department that a fresh new approach to copyright licensing and a central repository for VET materials was both necessary and long overdue. To accommodate this, a new system would need to be devised incorporating all of these components, and also incorporating reduced costs to all VET stakeholders, and protecting the investment on the national and world markets. It was also apparent that providing ready access to these materials to the domestic training market in Australia would also prove to be advantageous in maximizing the investment by reducing the duplication of material and expansion in sales and royalty payments through the wider marketplace. VET stakeholders in Australia include Commonwealth and State departments, of DETYA, ANTA, State & Territory Training Authorities and Bodies, TAFE, and other RTO's, Schools, Workers and Students across the VET sector.

The conventional method of gaining copyright licenses for individual products has in the past proved to be slow, complex and costly. This has also led to new products being developed both within and across States/Territories, of duplicate and/or similar materials during the licensing process of single products. These duplicate products are then licensed as other individual products, thus minimizing the investment and increasing the legal costs of licensing for VET.

Taking into consideration all of these aspects, DETYA and the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS) devised an on-line concept for managing the complex copyright issues in the VET sector called AEShareNet, (Australian Educational Sharing Network.) AEShareNet (AES) is an innovative approach to the licensing of products.

It blends aspects of contract law, copyright and trade marks in a unique way, bringing together in the one system the 4 elements of licensors, licensees, identification of material and the various licence conditions (scope, enhancements, compilations, duration, territory) under agreed terms and conditions of the relevant licence protocols. It offers a range of licences to the owners and users of the material, including allowing negotiated variations within the licences to suit the requirements of all members. Materials and usage that could be included under the range of licenses under AES are outlined below:

U - Unrestricted: Allows unrestricted product usage, low value items, anyone can use, exploit and/or enhance. Could include brochures, promotional material, student handbooks, annual reports etc.

P - Preserved: Preserves the integrity of the product, no enhancements allowed. Training packages, implementation guides, course material, support material and research reports.

S - Standard: Able to use, exploit and enhance products. Enhanced products returned as new 'S' licenced products. Is used for commonly available materials such as curriculum documents, course material, workbooks, log books and study guides.

C - Commercial: Is customizable licence where the owner may choose who can use the product, where it can be distributed, for what purpose, how it may be distributed, and the licence conditions and uses may be negotiated.

It is a system whereby the members agree to communicate and transact the business of copyright licenses under the AES constitution and with AEShareNet as the registered trademark.

Overview of the national project

In April 1998 the AES Establishment Advisory Group was established with representatives from all States/Territories, to make recommendations on how the concept might be implemented. In November 1998 an ANTA National Project to implement the AES concept was agreed to by the ANTA Ministerial Council and funding of $3.53 million over 3 years was allocated to establish an on-line copyright licensing management system for the training materials. Funding included up to $500,000 for the States, Territories, ANTA and the Commonwealth to assist in clarifying copyright ownership of their existing material. The AEShareNet National Project is a Commonwealth Government Initiative and is funded by ANTA in conjunction with DETYA.

It was recognised that the system design for AES must incorporate the existing national framework of data standards, using database platforms already in place in the VET system. (e.g. National Training Information Service, EdNA Metadata Standard), and ideally with some form of database links to allow updates of essential information to occur. It was also understood that the extent of activity necessary in each State/Territory would vary according to work already undertaken there to clarify copyright ownership and identify materials for the databases.

The Project would also develop a suitable company to develop technical specifications, website refinements, and implement the on-line aspects of the operation linking the local operations to a centralized system and accessible via a web site.
The company would also provide for adequate State/Territory involvement in the control of AES, while operating at arms length from government. The company and the local databases would be developed concurrently with implementation of project briefs across all States/Territories. AEShareNet Ltd., (the company was incorporated on 1 August 2000, and amongst its responsibilities are: finalizing the on-line implementation of AES; operate the system; establish and maintain a separate web site where public reporting of the activities are accessible; trading of copyright licenses; marketing. The AEShareNet Ltd., site will be an interactive database driven site that will provide the components listed above, enabling the VET sector in Australia to become competitive in the global markets.

The project brief in each State/Territory was to initially gather 100 items of VET sector educational material produced by TAFE, ANTA and DETYA. To clarify copyright, create abstracts, assign subject headings, qualification levels, and licences (allocated from the AES range) and add the records to the AES local database. Funding was allocated to the participating States/Territory, ANTA and DETYA and project officers were appointed in May 2000 to begin the implementation process.

The structure of the operational aspects of the project varied just as the nature of TAFE operations vary from State to State. For example, some of the States manage their own intellectual property, publish, license, provide catalogues and handle distribution of products direct from the Institutes. Some have viable commercial operations set up either within the department and/or outside of the department where that state's products are channeled through a central operation. The central operations manage the intellectual property, the licensing, provide policy advice and assist with pricing models and general copyright clarification for the materials across their states. Others outsourced the project and engaged the services of consultants with the relevant expertise to meet the project requirements. A number of these operations have for some years published a hard print catalogue of materials they are currently licensing under a commercial licence (C). Some of these have also moved forward utilizing technology providing their own web site and web-based catalogues, providing on line searching, ordering and payment facilities for clients.

So what is the difference between AEShareNet and these existing databases? They are all local State based operations with TAFE currently using the conventional licensing approach and limited materials produced by a particular Institute and/or State/Territory. AEShareNet is a national online copyright licensing system created for the whole of the VET sector in Australia, that identifies and captures VET sector training materials across all States/Territories and lists them on a national database and accessible to the world markets via the web site.

Implementation in South Australia

In May 2000, the Department of Education, Training & Employment (DETE), delegated the South Australian component of the project to TAFEBIZSA, the business services unit of TAFE in SA, and nominated the General Manager as licensor for the Minister. A Contact Manager, AEShareNet was appointed to coordinate the many facets of the project, liaising with the project officer and Institute representatives. The unit also has responsibility for allocating appropriate licenses, customizing license profiles, payment of royalties, and the provision of support services to the project and to the Institutes.

The operational responsibilities for the project are housed within the iNFOSPEC Unit at the Adelaide Institute of TAFE. iNFOSPEC is the unit that provides specialist services to the LEARN network in SA (network of TAFE libraries in SA). Two part time project officers were initially appointed in May 2000, sharing the position from May-Sept 2000, when a single project officer continued in the position at 0.5 EFT.

Local AESharenet database testing

South Australia, together with Queensland and New South Wales participated in the testing and trialling of the AES Local database pilot scheme, a database designed and built by Dytech Solutions, Tasmania. Acceptance testing of the Local System software began in June 2000 and as each version was released, test sites downloaded and installed the database to their local network or PC. Faults and problems found during testing were posted to a list and addressed by Dytech. Most of the faults and problems consisted of difficulties with downloading and installing the upgraded versions of the database, importing and exporting files, and member and administrative data, eg. Licensor contacts and budget centres etc.

In September 2000, the 1st live version of AEShareNet (1.0.24) was downloaded by all sites, and in all, we have downloaded and installed 7 versions to the current database version (1.0.34). After a few minor problems that were quickly rectified, we felt the new version was stable enough and ready for input of our first records by November 2000.

Contacts and targeted markets

In addition to testing and trialling the local databases, we began searching for sources of material by contacting program areas across the TAFE Institutes in South Australia. As there is not a central system for material development in SA, it was necessary to contact the 8 Institutes individually (plus the additional 26 off-site campuses) to identify areas of material development. Targeting the huge range of courses across Institutes, for curriculum documents, training packages, course and supplementary material developed in specific and/or across program groups and Institutes. A list of courses offered at each Institute was identified and used initially as a guide to determine contacts for location of materials that may be suitable for addition to the AES database.

Contact people were identified, site visits were arranged and the program contact was provided with an overview of the concept of AES, how it would work, and the type and scope of material we required to add to the database.

A Microsoft Access database was created to enable project officers to track program group contacts, record locations, contact details and material development. (see Appendix 1) Information collated on the database provides an ongoing and current listing of material development within the Institutes. It allows us to update records to ensure currency and relevancy to the program areas and training materials produced within the areas. From the 'Information Sourced' we can track the stages of materials currently under development, and flag those suitable as additions to the database. We identify courses currently offered by the Institutes via course brochures, newspaper advertisements, and other media formats, thus keeping track of possible sources of new materials under development, targeting them for addition to AES. The database will be a valuable record of contacts and materials throughout the Institutes during the project implementation phase and beyond.

Marketing AESharenet to the institutes

A series of information and marketing workshops were held throughout all TAFE Institutes in South Australia during April to August 2001. The audiences targeted were the directors and the educational and corporate managers, and the presentations were designed to highlight the benefits of using the online copyright licensing system in comparison to the conventional method currently used. It also outlined the extent of the range of training materials and other support material that are required to support existing and/or new courses. Searching the AES national database would identify if materials required are already in existence, being updated or flagged as under development by one of the other stakeholders. The notes and the presentations demonstrate the opportunities for marketing and sales through the range of licences allowing the purchase, and/or enhancement of materials, and how using the system assists developers to avoid duplication of material.

The benefits that Institutes will reap in maximizing their staff and material resources, and the opportunities for a return on the original investment through sales and royalty payments were evident to those at the meetings. The only real concerns raised were the cost to the Institutes for this service through TAFEBIZSA, and the vetting and tracking of enhanced materials. The global marketing of their products through AES was obvious to a number of managers and developers of material as being particularly beneficial, as was the marketing of the VET sector as a creator of quality educational training materials, and in particular the TAFE Institutes in South Australia who are willing to participate in AES. The added benefit of their products being highly visible on the world market provided much food for thought, because of the links to the overseas student markets we are hoping to expand into.

Identifying and collection of materials, and creating records

I collected some of the material identified as appropriate during site visits, with the remainder forwarded by the contacts, and processing of items began as materials were acquired. Acquisition of further material was and continues to be sought through all Institutes via promotional workshops and individual contacts.

A Material Registration Form (MRF) (see Appendix 2) was created to streamline the recording of the data necessary for input on the local AES database. Data recorded includes title, material format, scope, type, copyright notice, licensor, and licence types, with abstracts and bibliographic details of the material in the description field. Entries with an '*' indicate a range of options that may be selected from the Options drop down menus in the various screens within the database.

The descriptive information for the product varied greatly from a comprehensive outline with a detailed overview of the contents, to material with little more than a basic title and a contents page. Some listed full cataloguing in publication details and others did not. This was a challenge to ensure the description field on the database provided consistent information that would enable users to access the material by simple key word searching. Using the MRF made it a relatively simple job to systematically process the materials, and once abstracts were written they were entered on the database.

The national launch

The Core Licensing System (AEShareNet Central) currently being developed by Dytech Solutions in Hobart is expected to be ready for testing in mid to late September and pending testing results could go live in late October 2001, when completed records from the local databases in each of the States/Territories will be uploaded ready for the national launch. Target figures for material on the local databases in each area for the projected national launch total almost 5,000 records.

The national launch of AES Central will provide access to the online copyright licensing system and a national database of 5,000 current training materials produced by the VET sector across Australia. RTO's (Registered Training Organisations) and developers will be able to check the database to find out whether there are any suitable materials available for use or purchase, to enhance, and/or are currently under development. They can be assured that the most current and relevant materials will be listed, with records being continuously updated as materials are channeled through the local operations and uploaded to AES Central. Users will be able to negotiate with the owners of the material on licence agreements that suit all parties and that is less costly than the current conventional methods. They can also be assured that they are not duplicating material that has already been created, and can be used as is or enhanced to suit their own requirements, and they can feel confident that these materials are copyright compliant.

Future directions and benefits

Following the national launch, AEShareNet is to be marketed to the wider VET sector in Australia by AEShareNet Ltd. Additional markets to be targeted are other RTO's , the Education Departments in all States/Territories, the Private Schools Education sector, Universities and other training sectors throughout Australia. They will be contacted and information about AEShareNet disseminated to all. The intent is to register these organisations as members in their own right, license their products and add the materials to the national database, thus expanding the range and breadth of training materials across all learning institutions and making them widely available on both a national and global scale and marketing them to national and international markets.

A new web site is being designed and developed by Electronic Trading Concepts (ETC) in Sydney, and should be completed and ready by late August, and the existing web site will be updated and integrated into the new site. When the Core Licensing System is completed, it will also be placed on this new web site.

A hard copy print of the materials that are listed on the AES local SA database will also be held in the new VETShare Collection located in the library at the Adelaide Institute of TAFE. Materials in this collection are for preview by anyone in the VET sector in SA within the library, and will not be available for loan. Coordination of the Legal Deposit requirements for TAFE SA by AEShareNet is also being investigated to assist the department with complying with the current legislation.

Benefits for both users and providers of material on AEShareNet are:

• Streamlined copyright licensing, quick, simple, cheap and effective
• Maximizes time, staff resources and legal costs
• Avoids complexity of sub licensing, mistakes and misunderstandings
• Promotes knowledge and understanding of copyright that should minimize infringement of copyright
• Immediate access to a range of VET materials produced across Australia Encourages the creation of new materials
• Reduces duplication of existing material
• Increased opportunity of expanded sales and captures royalty payments
• Provides a competitive advantage for Australia
• Markets VET products on a national and global scale
• Promotion of education and training in Australia to the global markets

Appendix 1: Form on the Contacts Database for recording contacts, meetings, materials located.

Appendix 2: Material Registration form created to streamline workflow and create a print record of items on the local AEShareNet database.

Material Registration Form
Material Title
Material Type *
Material Scope *
Format Types *
Subject *
NTIS National Code *
Qualification Level *
Module Codes
Licensor *
Status *
Licence Mark *
Copyright Notice
Local Member *
Budget Center *
Interested Parties
Material Pointer
Related Material
MRN
Description:
Supplied by:
Createy By	Date Created

Bibliography

AEShareNet [Online]. Available: http://www.aesharenet.edu.au [Accessed July 2001]

Sharrad, K, April 2001. AEShareNet Project Report [Unpublished]

Acronyms