This is going to be a quick post…
I’ve asked this question in many different places, and wanted a centralized place to view everyone’s comments.
I wanted to know YOUR opinion on allowing your personal outsourcing team access to business courses you’ve purchased.
This is just an ethical question of right or wrong…
For example, say I went and purchased Frank Kern’s Masss Control, John Reese’s Traffic Secrets, and Mike Filsaime’s Butterfly Marketing course. Would it be okay to upload these courses to a secure password protected site, having access only for my full time personal outsourced team to view and learn from?
In essence, having this be their training site, before they start their projects.
Or are these courses only meant to be viewed by a single person, versus being viewed by your entire business, including business partners and team members?
Tell me what you think, I’d like to gather YOUR comments before I post my follow-up and opinion on this matter.
Thanks
Alex Lim
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July 26th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Hi Alex –
Hmm … now I see what you mean.
Well – I say no to the uploading of (other people’s) paid for content for sure. And if they’re outsourcers – you really only want to be giving them their piece of the puzzle (ie. systemize/ re-write sections for your internal business use)- rather than the whole enchilada anyway.
If you grant them login access (for example) – I would say that raises them to more of a partnership level … ie. if you’re working on a joint project with someone and the partnership bears the cost – then that seems appropriate.
Anything else would = theft of intellectual property from my perspective.
Grin – remember …. you DID ask for my .02 – lol.
Appreciate you as always,
Andrea
Andrea Goodsaid´s last blog ..A Note from the Universe
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AlexLimInc Reply:
July 26th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Thanks for comment, Andrea!
I do appreciate your 2 cents!
Alex Lim
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July 26th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Hi Alex,
Mark here, a fellow student on Alex Jeffreys course.
Nice looking blog, also great tips and advice for any newbie wanting to make money online.
If you get a moment take a look at my first welcome video on my blog and leave a comment to let me know what you think.
Keep in touch.
Mark Terrell
http://markterrell.co.uk
HTTP://www.twitter.com/mark_terrell
Mark Terrell´s last blog ..Still Cant Build Your Email List?
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July 27th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Hi, Alex:
Great question. Ethically speaking, uploading or sharing any course material purchased, verbatim with anyone is not acceptable. However, if one shares what he learns in his own interpretation and posts that with his team, then it is great because he is passing on knowledge he has learned. This way, he has also customized the knowledge he has gained through the course and is much more meaningful to their projects.
I have enjoyed your Tweets and thanks for connecting.
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AlexLimInc Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Thank you for your comment, Doris!
I’ve been getting a lot of comments about the “uploading” part…
I wonder, would it make a difference if they came to my office and
took the course in person?
Thanks again for the comment!
Alex Lim
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David King Reply:
August 7th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
I think that if you are learning and growing and helping others it’s a good thing!
David King´s last blog ..Carelessly Caring because i’ve been there…
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Matt Wolfe Reply:
August 7th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I have to agree that it would be much more meaningful to your team if you were to tailor the information to them, as opposed to posting it verbatim.
If you were going to repost the material, I think the ethical thing to do is to purchase new copies for your employees to read.
Matt
Matt Wolfe´s last blog ..How to Make Money Online
July 27th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Further to my previous post, citing the source of knowledge or material referenced in the posting of knowledge would help your outsourced team members to ask good questions and if they would like to do a little research on their own, very useful.
I echo Andrea Goodsaid’s comment about partnership and cost sharing. Which is entirely appropriate in that scenario.
In Appreciation,
Doris Jung
@theBodyGal
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AlexLimInc Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
I’m trying to take the approach of a business owner…
Now, if you were to hire employees, would you really have to learn every detail of your business?
I’m sure Henry Ford, Bill Gates, and Walt Disney didn’t know EVERY aspect of their company.
They hire people to do different task of their business. Now, how did those people learn their skills?
Many were hired with the skills, but many were trained within the company.
Business owners would have to purchase training materials to grow their business…
Now, is what I mentioned in the post any different?
I welcome more comments!
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July 29th, 2009 at 2:47 am
Hi Alex,
I’d say that since you’re not sharing with the public or selling it that should be OK although I’m no lawyer.
If you’re only showing them to your “staff” then it should be no problem.
I would assume that if you watch it at home with your family that can’t be a problem either.
Huddson
Huddson Lee´s last blog ..Stop Chasing Money!!
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AlexLimInc Reply:
July 29th, 2009 at 10:05 am
You make a good point, Huddson!
Is there really a difference in uploading the content to a SECURE site
Vs. just allowing my staff to view the content at my office?
Thanks for the comment!
Alex Lim
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July 29th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Hi Alex,
You know, I was a bit on the fence with this one. But, I believe that if it is to further the knowledge of people who ‘work for you’(and because you are ONLY making it available to them) to build your business, then it should not be a problem.
As usual Alex…NICE WORK-keep it up,
Joann
Joann Henry´s last blog ..Alexa Rankings Are A Lot Of Fun To Watch!
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July 29th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Hey here’s a thought –
Put yourself in the place of the product creator.
What sort of expectations do you have of your customers?
Uploading to me is akin to taking it to the copy center and copying the work of another. The copy center won’t do it FOR you for a reason – it’s copyright infringement.
Having someone over to use your copy or lending it out is completely different. What’s been paid for (generally) is a single use license for the product in question. Making multiple copies (of content intended for sale) available cheats the product owner – even if it is ‘currently’ secure.
I’ll reiterate though – IF there’s a mutual project/ partnership going on … I think it’s pretty well expected that both parties will access the info (via login or sharing of docs one-on-one) so that work can commence.
Good stuff Alex!
Andrea
Andrea Goodsaid´s last blog ..What Are YOU Planning?
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July 29th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
You bought it for your business and your team is a part of your business nuff said. lol
alvina torres´s last blog ..Eric Arceneaux feat. Lauren Daye and 4 Real Talent Family
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July 30th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Hi Alex,
An ethical question no doubt.
Perhaps its a question that you should ask of the person whom you buy the product from. If its a high ticket item then perhaps they would feel that the fee paid allowed you to share the information within your business.
If you bought an expensive dvd training course would it come with the stipulation that you couldn’t share it as you are mentioning?
A good question, making me think too much!!
Regards
Andy Michaels
Andy Michaels´s last blog ..Another Step Forward
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AlexLimInc Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Thanks for your comment, Andy!
To be honest with you, I do plan on asking before I upload
the content (or even give the password out, for membership sites)
Really, I wanted to know more people’s thought on the subject.
When I thought about it, aren’t ALL business courses just business licensed?
I should be posting a follow-up soon!
Have a great day!
Alex Lim
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August 1st, 2009 at 10:35 am
I asked a friend of mine that is a lawyer and he said that it is not anything wrong with it as long as the creator didn’t write it in the disclaimer etc. Many items warn against reproduction of any kind. He went on to say that when a business owner purchases a marketing system that it is understood that his team would be the ones implementing it. Being that your business is online and your team can reasonably reside anywhere, it would make sense that you post the materials in a password protected area where all can access it. He went on to say that to avoid confusion, it be advisable to purchase said products in the business name and not your personal name therefore making the copy property of your company. Lastly, he said that he had purchased a marketing system for Law Firms a while back and this material sits in a central location where anyone in the law firm can access it amongst many other reference books also purchased by one and accessible to all within the firm. It’s obvious this is a touchy subject. It brings to mind the story I heard Robert Kyosaki tell about his first childhood business, where he would charge kids $1 to come and view comic books. Basically, a comic book library with an entrance fee. Would your idea pass as a type of electronic library? I guess it depends of how you receive it. If you receive it electronically then adding it to the website would be nothing more than storing it in a centralized location. If however you received a hard copy book, scanning it and then submitting it may qualify as reproducing. So keeping with this theme it would be obvious that your centralized library of reference material should never leave the premises, so you would have to make sure that your team was not able to copy and paste or save this information to their computers..they shall only be able to access it as reference material at the location. This would avoid claims of illegal downloading. as far as asking, I would not…. If they said nothing in the legal disclaimers…For I feel there is nothing wrong with it and as the saying goes it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. There’s my thoughts.
alvina torres´s last blog ..Is it Ethical to share knowledge with your sales team?
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August 1st, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Hi,Alex, I am sure that Product Owners will not happy if your entire outsourcing team has an access to it.
If you share somebody’s info without permission, you have to think about copyright law.
try to keep silence if you are doing this or, on my guess, avoid this.
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August 1st, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I would just add that it is best to approach the author and ask how much it would cost to have a multi-user licence. If you expected to have say 500 licenced users the price of this type of licence should be proportionally lower than the cost of 500 separate licences.
I have just looked at the product licence for the product I am selling and it is very clear that the author only intends the product to be used by one person. The product is licenced to a single person for use on a single computer. Any more that one person will require an additional licence or a muli-user licence.
The higher the numbers involved, the more you should be able to negotiate a better price.
David´s last blog ..A Word of Explanation
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AlexLimInc Reply:
August 1st, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Thanks for the comment, David!
I wonder if your product you mentioned was a business course or
a piece of software.
If I were to purchase a piece of software for my business, yes I would
have licenses for each computer.
I agree with you, software licenses are handled totally different.
But I wrote this post more for home study courses or training courses,
is your comment still true for those types of products?
Thanks again for your comment, David!
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August 2nd, 2009 at 3:26 am
Hello Alex
In the end it might be just safe to approach the author of the study course and maybe for a small fee get the author’s permission regardless of what it might or might not say in the small print. You might then be in a better position to get more products from the same author later on.
Better that than have a ‘cease and desist’ order slapped on you and face hefty legal costs later on.
It is in the author’s interest to agree to let you do it purely for the viral effect their product has and the potential for them still to profit.
It is the same with Microsoft and some of their software; they make it so easy to copy and use without having to unlock it. If you don’t use their software you will use someone else’s. You might technically be breaking the law but unless you are making a lot of dollars from it, a blind eye will turned.
I know these study courses can cost a lot of money when they are first released and everyone is happy to pay the price to be one of the first to get the information and profit from it. Then after time the authour offers it at a very much lower price. It is still the same product but as the demand drops off the value drops off.
I would negotiate with the author based on the current market value.
Your question is similar to the entertainment industry and the playing of music. Unless it is solely for your own private enjoyment the moment you use it where an audience might be involved you need to have a licence of some sort and especially if it is used in a context where you profit finacially directly or indirectly from using it.
My own conclusion to all this would be that if in anyway there is a financial gain from using the material, you should get permission and negotiate the best possible price for permission to use it.
David´s last blog ..A Word of Explanation
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AlexLimInc Reply:
August 2nd, 2009 at 8:30 am
Maybe the question becomes, “Are business courses licensed
to your business and not just the business owner?”
I think this question is not related to music, because music
is more meant for entertainment. I do not think business
courses are just made for our entertainment rather the
purpose is solely for financial gain.
I would love to have a Internet Marketer who has developed
a study course to chime in
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David Chamberlain Reply:
August 7th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Hi David
I somewhat agree with you, although I do think that authors and other developers should start creating business licences with their products.
Even more so nowadays, people are consuming information, and passing this on. Now, If i bought a book, and I thought that it would benefit my business, I’d have no problem in using that within my business.
I lend people my books all the time. So why should it be any different online?
Regards
David Chamberlain
David Chamberlain´s last blog ..Automatic Lead Generation!
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August 4th, 2009 at 1:32 am
Alex, I’m surprised. Under no circumstances should you even consider this. You may be able to work out a deal with the original copyright holder. When it comes to putting intellectual property out on the net who knows who would have access.
I would look at it as an opportunity to train him if he needs to know what you want from him. By doing so, you will end up with a better understanding of it yourself and be able to convey its meaning to others much better.
I don’t think you were really going to do it anyway.
Peace
Chris Kilber´s last blog ..How to Dominate and Master Your Niche With Your Content
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August 15th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Alex
Certainly an interesting thought and some very good discussion and conversation going on around the topics. As someone who has purchased a number of courses and products myself I am just starting to look into outsourcing to assist my business and agree that it would be a useful method of training said ‘employees’.
I guess the key is that you wouldn’t want to give away all the content in its original form as whilst there is benefit in helping others you are effectively purchasing the product then giving it away, which could firstly be seen to devalue the product but secondly would probably infringe some of the restrictions around the material which frequently state that it is for personal use only and should not be shared.
I think that as stated it would be much better for you to provide your own interpretation and techniques that you have garnered from the material thereby circumnavigating the issues.
As a final thought, if you do go ahead with your plan then I would be more than happy to work for you as an outsourcer if you are going to pay me to learn from Kern, Reese Filsaime and Co!! (Lol)
Cheers
Tom
Tom Harvey´s last blog ..Newbies Nightmare
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