Vision Australia is celebrating a landmark decision that will make a huge difference to the amount of accessible information available for millions of people who are blind or have low vision worldwide.
At the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) diplomatic conference held this week in Marrakesh, Morocco, delegates have agreed to sign a treaty on copyright for people who are blind or have other print disabilities.
The treaty is the first of its kind to benefit the public interest rather than the interest of rights holders. It will enable cross-border sharing of accessible books between organisations and directly from organisations to individuals who are blind or have other print disabilities and prevent the need to duplicate production in different countries.
Vision Australia’s Maryanne Diamond, General Manager International and Stakeholder Relations, and Immediate Past President of the World Blind Union (WBU) led the WBU delegation at WIPO for the last five years.
This week we have witnessed history being made,” says Ms Diamond. “We have worked hard for this day for a very long time. We are thrilled that member states have reached agreement on this treaty which will take another step forward in the inclusion of persons who are blind in society.
Adopting the treaty on Thursday 27 June is especially appropriate as it is birth day of political activist, and pioneer Helen Keller. Helen would have been proud to see another example of human rights prevail.
Prior to this treaty being signed, of the 285 million people in the world who are blind or have low vision 80%, who live in developing countries had access to less than 1% of published books. Even in developed countries, like Australia there is only 5% available.
Vision Australia would like to recognise the Australian Government’s support for this treaty, and the role that Australia has played in the negotiations.
To ensure a smooth process Vision Australia urges the Australian Government to ratify this treaty as a matter of priority. The treaty will come into force three months after 20 states have ratified.Download the WIPO Treaty media release