Copyright Agency and PRIA extended partnership announced

November 8, 2017

The Copyright Agency is excited to announce a new partnership agreement with industry peak body the Public Relations Institute of Australia that will expand on its joint commitment to educate public relations and communication practitioners on the importance of copyright.

The Copyright Agency’s Director of Commercial Licensing, Guy Johnson, says the new partnership agreement will continue to raise the level of awareness and understanding of copyright law throughout the PR and communications community, and play a practical role in copyright compliance and recognition across the industry.

“The new agreement builds on the 2013 National Agreement between PRIA’s Registered Consultancy Group members and the Copyright Agency that offered PRIA RCG members a 10% discount on copyright licences. It will also see the Copyright Agency increase its resources in providing critical educational training and support to consultancy owners and staff.”

When the agreement between the Copyright Agency and PRIA’s RCG was first reached in 2013, only 12 consultancies held a copyright licence. Four years later, there is almost 100% compliance across RCG members, and a significant level of practical understanding of the Copyright laws in Australia across this workforce.

Showcasing the relevance of the partnership is the development of a tailored, multi-platform program that includes:

  • Educational webinars The partnership will see the Copyright Agency develop a four-part series of webinars next year aimed at guiding practitioners to understand copyright and comply with the Copyright Act. These will be freely available to all PRIA members, and via the PRIA website so they can be accessed by members at their convenience.
  • Outreach at the PRIA National Conference The Copyright Agency will host a stand at the PRIA 2017 National Conference on November 9 at the Hyatt Regency Sydney. Delegates will have the opportunity to learn more about copyright and its application in the PR industry.
  • Award sponsorship The Copyright Agency will sponsor the Issues Management Campaign category at the PRIA Golden Target Award, held on the evening of November 9 at the Sydney Opera House. The category naturally aligns with the principles of Good Copyright Governance through its positive impact on the reputation of an organisation and its respectful delivery of services to the community.

The Copyright Agency issues licences as a simple and effective way for PR consultancies to practice Good Copyright Governance, ensuring that the creators of content are being recognised and compensated for their work fairly. Once the consultancy acquires a licence they are able to communicate content-rich material in real time to clients, with the confidence that they are exhibiting their support for Australian creators without infringing copyright.

Chief Executive of Public Relations Institute of Australia, Anne Howard, says PRIA is committed to ensuring that its members understand their obligations to creators and the laws around copyright, and have access to education programs to keep them up to date with copyright compliance.

“We want investment in innovation and to do that we all need to respect content creators and how content is consumed,” Ms Howard says. “This new partnership shows PRIA’s willingness to support the work of journalists, publishers and other originators of content who are critical to the successes of our businesses and clients. It also recognizes that a growing number of our professional members are content creators in their own right and they too need to be aware of their rights and how the Copyright Agency also supports their original work.”