New research reveals that while 66 per cent of Australian white-collar workers access published content as part of their role, only seven per cent expressed certainty that their business has a licence to use the material. More so, 45 per cent admit that they don’t think about copyright laws in accessing published content.
These figures, coming from research conducted by independent market research company Fiftyfive5 on behalf of the Copyright Agency, reflect a concerning statistic uncovered by the report, which found that 505 million potential infringements happen each year in Australian businesses.
Newspapers, journals, and industry reports have been revealed as the most frequently used copyright material in business settings, with 74 per cent of respondents who use copyright materials said they use industry reports or research papers, while 55 per cent said they receive this type of material from a colleague or third party.
Meanwhile, news articles are used by 45 per cent of workers that use copyright materials with 51 per cent saying they prefer to access newspaper or magazine articles from sites where there is no paywall.
“It’s clear from the results how valuable copyright content is to Australian businesses, but the unlicensed use of this content is cause for concern,” Copyright Agency CEO, Josephine Johnston, commented. “Publishers and rightsholders will be alarmed to know the extent to which staff within Australian businesses are distributing and copying content without the appropriate copyright licences in place.
“Yet it appears that many employees are doing this unknowingly,” Johnson added. “Our survey revealed that half of white-collar workers believe that if content is published on the internet, it can be copied or used by anyone. This is something that needs to be addressed so that we can continue to protect the intellectual and creative property of writers.’
The report notes that, based on segmentation of the first set of data by job role, those in leadership positions were most likely to download copyright material for sharing purposes (reported by 60 per cent). White-collar workers in human resources and marketing and communication roles are the most frequent users of copyright content within businesses across all types of materials used.
“The results demonstrate how potential copyright infringement is rife across Australian businesses, across all types of roles and industries,” Johnston said. “This is partly down to a misunderstanding, or lack of knowledge, as to how content can be used or shared by businesses in a copyright-compliant fashion. However, the discovery that those in leadership positions are more prone to engaging in these behaviours is a particular concern, as it is people in these roles that should be setting an example for the rest of the company.”
The survey added that those working in an office are more likely to use industry reports and newspaper articles, whereas those conducting highly skilled work are more likely to rely on research papers, journals, and books. In fact, 40 per cent of workers are using journal articles in the workplace, with 46 per cent doing so at least once a week. While journals are not accessed as often as other types of copyright material, they are more commonly used by highly skilled workers (such as healthcare professionals and engineers).
“Every role is different, and requires permission to access and use different types of material. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to copyright usage but it’s clear that material is being copied and shared without awareness or avoidance of risk,” Johnston concluded.
