The real cost of training and guidelines for using copyrighted content in your business

Mike Duguay, instructor for Injectronics and frequent correspondent to SSGM, wrote last month about the commitment both in time and money, to offer technical training courses. In his letter, he stated that the cost of preparation for the courses he teaches was $5000, but in fact, it’s $50,000! That’s a lot of money, and makes current industry offerings quite a bargain.-Jim Anderton

Hi Jim,

Read the April 2005 issue of SSGM, and was surprised to read my E-mail…”Letter to the Editor”… where I commented on Bob Greenwood’s column last December. But, when I read my letter to you, my heart sank ! In the letter, I’m quoted that the cost to prepare the courses, was a minimum of $5,000.00… (I immediately reviewed my hand written notes, and I had indeed written $50,000.00!) I had erred in transposing the numbers when I typed the E-mail that was sent to you. I would like to apologize to all who were affected by my mistake.

Sincerely,

Mike Duguay

Jim Anderton comments:

No apology necessary, Mike. It is interesting to see how much of an investment tech training takes these days. Imaging the comparisons cost wise… you could buy a lift, balancer, changer and probably an alignment bench for that kind of money. Without the training, however, the high-tech equipment won’t pay.

Murray Charles from Saturn of Lethbridge is one of many readers who ask about reproduction of articles appearing in SSGM.

Hi Jim,

My name is Murray Charles, Service Manager at Saturn of Lethbridge, Albetra. I read with interest the well-written article by Paula Ellis on oil filters in your April 2005 issue. I agree with the author that driving conditions in our area and Canada as a rule can be considered “severe service”, and I strive to educate our customers of this.

I would like to have this article available to my customers to view, by having a plasticized copy of the first page highlighting the severe service paragraph in view on my front service counter. Simply put, I am seeking an authorization to photocopy 1 page of the article. Any ideas whom I should contact for permission? Thanks for your help and keep the excellent articles coming.

Sincerely,

Murray Charles

Jim Anderton replies:

Thanks for your support, Murray. The general rules of copyright (and I’m no lawyer) mean that the content in SSGM is for the sole use of the reader and can’t be duplicated without prior permission, much like a televised sports event. Laminating an article that appeared in your copy and putting it on display in your waiting area doesn’t sound much different to leaving a copy lying around for consumers to read. Sounds like a good idea if it can educate consumers. Please remember to show the source (SSGM) somewhere on the laminate. Creative use of any educational material you can find goes a long way toward educating our consumer base. In my opinion, Canadian vehicle owner’s manuals should list severe service as the only maintenance schedule.