Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Hours after the adoption of the World Intellectual Property Organization Marrakesh treaty expected to facilitate access to special format books for visually impaired people, a range of stakeholders gathered for a stocktaking exercise on the treaty.
As World Intellectual Property Organization delegates were giving their closing statements after today’s adoption of the Marrakesh treaty for the blind that some called a miracle, just outside the door of the Palais des Congrès, a large group of blind people was demonstrating to bring attention to their need for employment.
With this week’s agreement in Marrakesh, Morocco on an international treaty to ease cross-border access for the blind to copyrighted books, the UN World Intellectual Property Organization has completed its second treaty in the past 12 months - with more potentially on the way. WIPO Director General Francis Gurry sat down with Intellectual Property Watch's Catherine Saez in Morocco hours after the treaty text was agreed by WIPO members to discuss what it means.
Marrakech, Maroc – L’ambiance était à la fête au Palais des Congrès de Marrakech pour acclamer le succès des négociateurs de l’Organisation Mondiale de la Propriété Intellectuelle dans leur tentative de produire un projet de texte consensuel. Après un début de semaine difficile, les efforts des délégués ont été couronnés de succès et les couloirs du Palais des Congrès résonnaient le 25 juin de clameurs joyeuses et d’éloges. Des larmes de joies étaient versées tandis que cette victoire était collectivement acclamée comme un accord historique. Les déficients visuels et la société civile qui les soutenait étaient euphoriques, certains se déclarant dépassés par l’ampleur de la réussite.
Marrakesh, Morocco - The mood was one of celebration at the Marrakesh Palais des Congrès to greet the success of World Intellectual Property Organization negotiators in their attempt to produce a draft treaty text showing consensus. After a difficult start to the week, delegates achieved success and the corridors of the conference centre echoed with laughter and congratulations. Tears of joy were shed as most celebrated this as an historic agreement. Visually impaired people and civil society supporting them were ecstatic, some said overwhelmed.
Marrakesh, Morocco - Today is the day for World Intellectual Property Organization negotiators to find consensus on longstanding issues and come up with language that can satisfy all countries’ concerns on a treaty, the first of its kind, that would provide copyright exceptions for visually impaired people to have wider access to books worldwide.
Marrakesh, Morocco - Yesterday, under a scorching sun, the World Blind Union organised an event to raise awareness about the negotiations taking place inside the Marrakesh Palais des Congrès. Behind them, in the building, negotiators have been at work for a week in an effort to agree and adopt a treaty to provide visually impaired people with a broader access to books.
Marrakesh, Morocco - Negotiators were still hard at work here at press time trying to reach the deadline of tomorrow set by the president of the diplomatic conference, to get agreed language to a drafting committee tasked with delivering a treaty text. The treaty is intended to confer on visually impaired people a wider access to books by providing exceptions to copyrighted works in special format.
Marrakesh, Morocco - A breakthrough was reached over the weekend in the World Intellectual Property Organization negotiations to provide more access to visually impaired people, according to participating sources. Agreement appears to have been struck on the controversial issue of restrictions to the exceptions to copyright that the treaty is proposing to establish.
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