By Min
Wu
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| By Roland DG Mid Europe Italia | Flickr |
On
October 2, the United States signed a historic treaty intended to alleviate the book
famine for more than 300 million blind or
visually impaired persons
in the world. The goal of the treaty is to create exemptions in the copyright
laws of signatory countries, so that copyright holders such as book publishers
cannot stand in the way of the creation and distribution of works in accessible
formats.
The treaty, formally known as the World
Intellectual Property Organization Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to
Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise
Print Disabled (WIPO Marrakesh Treaty), was adopted in Marrakesh, Morocco by more
than 150 countries on June 27, 2013. However, the treaty will not be effective
until the legislatures of at least 20 countries ratify the treaty by incorporating
it into their domestic laws.
Today, less than 5 percent of the books published globally
each year are made available in accessible formats such as Braille, large print
text, and audio books. Publishers charge royalties for the permission to
convert books into such accessible formats, which adds to the already high cost
of producing books and contributes to the book famine. A treaty that relieves
the copyright burden on blind persons has been the goal since the initial treaty negotiations
started in 1981.
According to WIPO Director
General Francis Gurry,
the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty is a “balanced treaty” that will “lead to real benefits
for the visually impaired.” “A Miracle in Marrakesh,” said Mustapha Khalfi, the
Morocco official who announced the treaty’s adoption.
