Hi everyone

Some exciting news. As you may know, the ACCN's interest over the last few years is in supporting the development of celebrancy and in proving celebrants access to a group Copyright licence

[b]The ACCN has negotiated a Group Copyright Policy for Celebrants which will

1. Replace the need for an individual Sole Traders Copyright Licence with the Copyright Agency Limited currently for hard copy around $125 pa.
http://www.copyright.com.au/Copyright_U ... ers_1.aspx
AND
2. Allow online sharing of copyrighted materials such as poetry and prose, unless the works are not excluded by the CAL Licence (eg Australian Hymn Book Company. More details later.)

FEE: $ 70 in total and represents more than $55 saving on the Sole Traders Copyright Licence alone.

To ensure that we have sufficient celebrants to provide our members with access to this Policy, the ACCN has decided to

1. Open the policy to ACCN members and non-member celebrants, and
2. Establish a separate closed forum for only Group Policy holders to share and only share poetry, prose and other copyrighted material to aid in their ceremonial work. ie our normal Members Forums will operate as usual - like this Non-members Forum.
3. Create a product in the Shop for members and other celebrants to order this product now, either to pay now - or by the 30th July by direct deposit or cheque/ money order or by credit card as per our payment options
4. Policy will commence from the 1st August 2010

Please let as many of your celebrant colleagues and friends know about this policy as possible, and go on line and order now ... pay now or later

SHOP LINK and Draft of Policy:
http://www.accn.com.au/accn-shop/catego ... ght-policy

Cheers
Rona

I am a long time celebrant, and we've never had to have this Copyright licence before. Do I have to take this out now ?

Well in the very old days - before personal computers, printers and the internet, celebrants were not likely to be breaking Copyright laws. Poetry was read from a book the celebrant had purchased and most couples did not receive a copy of their ceremony. However times have changed.

Do you

* type up copies of other people's poetry or prose as samples for couples or families to choose from for their ceremony?
* email these to couples or families?
* include these in memento copies of ceremonies?
* email other people's poetry, prose or lyrics to couples to other celebrants?

Then you would be breaking copyright laws, if you do not have a Copyright Licence to cover those actions.

So not only is it a concern from a legal point of view, it is also a matter of doing the right thing.

Jennifer Cram wrote an excellent summary on Copyright for the Our Space e_magazine. See:
http://www.askacelebrant.com.au/nationa ... -copyright

The article also gives reference to the Attorney General's Copyright Information.

Any questions please feel free to ask here or to email me on:
rona@accn.com.ai

Cheers
Rona

I understand this Group Licence for $70 gives me the same cover as the Sole Trader Copyright Licence $125, and allows some digital transfer of copyrighted material. But do I have to join an online Group Forum to take out the $70 Group Licence with the ACCN. ?

It's just that I am not very the internet savvy. C.M

If you take out this Group Licence,

* you do not have to join the on-line Group Copyright Forum at all, if you don't wish to, OR
* you can ask to be put on a Daily or Weekly Digest from the Group Licence Forum, so you receive in your own email box, copies of materials other celebrants have post here, OR
* you can have all rights ie ask for a poem for a wedding, funeral or naming etc. and / or help another celebrant with a similar question.

You choose the level you are comfortable with, and the ACCN will do its best to look after you.

Cheers
Rona

Hi everyone

A question from a member:

Is there any administration involved by those participating in the CAL copyright licence arrangement under the umbrella of ACCN?

I just wondered because CAL would pay fees to authors whose work is being used under the licence - but in order for that to happen, would not the licence holder have to submit annual records of what people are using so CAL can identify who gets what $? For you to do that, you would need to know what members have been copying/using etc.

As an author with books in both school and public libraries, I receive annual payments under the Education Lending Rights and Public Lending Rights scheme that compensates authors for their books being borrowed through school and public libraries. Payments are based on the annual records that libraries submit to the scheme coordinators in Canberra of what books have been borrowed during the year. I wondered if the CAL system operates in a similar way.

The ACCN will use the admin. $ 15 per celebrant to:
* invoice and receipt payment for each celebrant, paying for online transfer and bank fees if credit card payment
* provide the administration of the policy with CAL ie provide CAL with a list of celebrants who have taken out the Licence, organise payment to CAL. As new celebrants will be able to join after the licence is established then there will be ongoing work on managing this.
* allow CAL access to do audits on the material shared in the on-line group
* establish an online Forum for Policy Holders, with Forum Rules to share poetry & prose etc.
* sign each individual celebrant into a Copyright Members Only Group if they wish to join this. Very useful for funeral celebrants.
* moderate the forum to ensure only copyright issues are covered, and guidelines adhered to.
* assist in setting up DIgests, helping licence holder members with lost Passwords etc
* cover the groups proportion website / book-keeping etc. support costs .

So I trust celebrants will see that

CAL will responsible to do an audit of the material shared on-line here, and to let us know what other information they require. The ACCN will be giving CAL membership of the on-line forum to do that.

So yes the money raised through this group policy will be then distributed to the authors as CAL see fit. It is not a prefect system, but does assist transferring some funds to authors.

Cheers
Rona.