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January 31, 2021 by Gary Price

Marrakesh Treaty Reaches Milestone of 100 Countries, 15 More Countries Joined the Treaty During 2020

January 31, 2021 by Gary Price

From EIFL:

In October 2020, the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities reached the milestone of 100 countries, making a grand total of 102 WIPO member states by the end of the year. Fifteen more countries joined the treaty in 2020, including five EIFL partner countries – Serbia, Tanzania, Belarus, Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia. 

The treaty, that entered into force in 2016 with 20 member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is WIPO’s fastest moving and most successful treaty of recent times. The Marrakesh Treaty improves access to knowledge for print-disabled people by giving organizations like libraries the right to reproduce printed works in accessible formats such as braille, audio, large print and digital formats, and to exchange these works across national borders. 

The steady pace of ratifications year-on-year reflects the continued commitment around the world by governments, libraries, and blind people’s organizations to end the book famine, the fact that only about 7% of published works are made available globally in accessible formats.

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In 2020, the ability to access information became a critical matter of personal health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey by the World Blind Union (WBU) showed that access to accessible materials was significantly limited during COVID restrictions, in part due to inadequate copyright exceptions. The ability to access materials such as public health guidelines on keeping safe, educational materials needed for home-schooling, and finding solace in leisure reading during lockdown were all impacted by copyright. The pandemic has shown that Marrakesh is needed more than ever. WBU recommends using the survey findings to spur advocacy efforts for ratification and domestic implementation, and increased production of books and other copyrighted works in accessible formats.

Learn More, Read the Complete EIFL Post

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Libraries, News

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About Gary Price

Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.

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