An historic treaty on limitations and exceptions to copyright for blind and visually impaired persons has been agreed at a diplomatic conference convened by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held in Marrakesh, Morocco. Delegates from 186 countries met in the hopes that years of negotiation would finally lead to a treaty. Success was greeted with celebrations and tears of joy. Catherine Saez of Intellectual Property Watch points out that “For the visually impaired community, this is seen as nothing short of a miracle.” It is hoped that the treaty will increase the number of books available to people around the world with visual impairments.
Read the WIPO News release, “Historic Treaty Adopted, Boosts Access to Books for Visually Impaired Persons Worldwide”