Does anyone know how to license training materials?
January 11, 2014 5:29 AM Subscribe
Hi. I can't find anything useful about this on the web, weirdly. I'm the UK if it makes any difference. Would people advise getting their website info licensed too? Is there any point in doing that realistically? I'm in the process of setting up a business that is coaching based, broadly speaking. Thanks in advance.
If you mean you want to protect the contents of your website from commercial use by others, look at copyright or Creative Commons stuff. One approach is to put the copyright notice or CC link in the footer of your site so it appears on every page. It's often a good idea to also write up a page describing exactly what people can and can't do with your stuff, such as when they need to ask for permission.
If you want to create training materials that organizations can rent or buy to use internally, maybe putting their logo on it or whatever, there are often questions about that in LinkedIn groups in the training and elearning industries. Try doing a search on LinkedIn.
If you're talking about licensing a model that others will use or teach, you might look at what the Information Mapping people do for an example. If someone wants to teach the model to others for profit, they have to take a course and pay for a license every three years.
posted by ceiba at 10:39 AM on January 11, 2014
If you want to create training materials that organizations can rent or buy to use internally, maybe putting their logo on it or whatever, there are often questions about that in LinkedIn groups in the training and elearning industries. Try doing a search on LinkedIn.
If you're talking about licensing a model that others will use or teach, you might look at what the Information Mapping people do for an example. If someone wants to teach the model to others for profit, they have to take a course and pay for a license every three years.
posted by ceiba at 10:39 AM on January 11, 2014
Response by poster: Hi,
I want to run coaching style programs ranging from a day to a week in duration for businesses and individuals. It's a niche area and I'm scared of someone running off with my ideas so would like to go a step further (than automatic copyright) to protect them.
My limited understanding of licensing is that with it I could potentially sell people the right to use it (as an extra source of income) if I wish. This seems worth doing. I have read a bit on creative commons and IP and am not much wiser...
posted by tanktop at 10:45 AM on January 11, 2014
I want to run coaching style programs ranging from a day to a week in duration for businesses and individuals. It's a niche area and I'm scared of someone running off with my ideas so would like to go a step further (than automatic copyright) to protect them.
My limited understanding of licensing is that with it I could potentially sell people the right to use it (as an extra source of income) if I wish. This seems worth doing. I have read a bit on creative commons and IP and am not much wiser...
posted by tanktop at 10:45 AM on January 11, 2014
Basically the tools you have at your finger tips are:
Copyright: pretty standard and pretty strong when it comes to basic copying of content
Trademark: will protect your brand name and logos
Contracts: Can "protect" you from people you work with who are willing to sign a contract
Patent: likely not useful here since you don't have a device to protect
As an aside:
Ideas are pretty cheap / useless when it comes to the effort required to "protect" them.
Good Execution of a business plan and having a good work ethic is the best thing to make your ideas worth something.
Do the basics to protect yourself using copyright law and to a certain extent trademark law, and if you have some sort of plan to try to make reoccurring revenue, a contract to license your ideas.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 4:35 PM on January 11, 2014
Copyright: pretty standard and pretty strong when it comes to basic copying of content
Trademark: will protect your brand name and logos
Contracts: Can "protect" you from people you work with who are willing to sign a contract
Patent: likely not useful here since you don't have a device to protect
As an aside:
Ideas are pretty cheap / useless when it comes to the effort required to "protect" them.
Good Execution of a business plan and having a good work ethic is the best thing to make your ideas worth something.
Do the basics to protect yourself using copyright law and to a certain extent trademark law, and if you have some sort of plan to try to make reoccurring revenue, a contract to license your ideas.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 4:35 PM on January 11, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
If so you need to tel us more about what you want to do with these materials?
Should people be allowed to share these materials?
Do you want credit?
Do you want to prevent other people from making money from these materials?
You may want to read up about the Creative Commons
posted by bottlebrushtree at 9:33 AM on January 11, 2014