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In the Australian natural healthcare sector, Blackmores is undoubtedly a big fish. The iconic home-grown brand is a household name locally and has a considerable presence in Asia, marketing an extensive range of vitamin and dietary supplements.

Blackmores’ products are sold through pharmacies, health food stores, supermarkets and direct to consumers – but it’s a complex industry given that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and similar agencies in other countries require a high-degree of compliance in many aspects of the manufacturing and promotional processes.

In a highly regulated and competitive environment, the importance of access to information cannot be understated – and for Blackmores, having a CAL CopyrightAccess licence allows content to be reproduced and shared without delay or risk of infringement.

Narelle McGinty, Blackmores’ Medical Information Associate and Librarian, says that content from books, journal and newspaper articles, and websites are used on a day-to-day basis and are essential in both internal and external service delivery.

‘The CAL licence allows us the freedom to provide hardcopy articles to people such as healthcare professionals and retailers external to Blackmores. Previously we would summarise and reference an article or provide a link to the website abstract of an article,’ Narelle explains.

‘The licence enables us to utilise appropriate content and ensure our employees have the resources to assist our retail partners in gaining a better understanding of our products and the complementary healthcare industry. Information can also be used by our training, education and website authors to write content for our training, presentations and e-newsletters.’

CAL’s CopyrightAccess licence also slots in nicely with Blackmores’ commitment to social responsibility – a core value that, according to its website, is ‘woven into every fibre of the organisation’.

Narelle adds, ‘Blackmores continually reviews its corporate governance and compliance programs to ensure there is an understanding of the regulatory environment and that appropriate processes and procedures are adopted to maintain compliance – which includes copyright.’

Being on the front line, does Narelle see growth in digital use?

‘There does appear to be a shift to electronic distribution of content,’ she says.

‘The distribution of material in this format is so much easier and faster than hardcopy distribution. It also ensures the material is received by the correct recipient.’

CAL works closely with all licensees to ensure licence schemes meet the adapting needs of government, educational institutions, businesses and a variety of other organisations. For more information about CAL’s licences visit www.copyright.com.au.

Photography by Nick Cubbin.