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30 September 2016Copyright

WIPO Marrakesh Treaty enters into force

The World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) director, Francis Gurry, has welcomed the entry into force of the Marrakesh Treaty.

The treaty entered into force today, September 30, three months after it received the necessary 20 ratifications from WIPO member states.

It aims to help blind and visually impaired people access  works, by requiring nations to adopt legal provisions that permit the reproduction and distribution of published works in accessible formats, including Braille, by introducing limitations and exceptions to copyright law.

In July, WIPR reported that Canada ratified the agreement, making it the 20th nation to join the treaty and allowing the treaty to come into force.

Gurry said: “This is a wonderful day for visually impaired people around the world, who will today begin benefiting from an increase in the number of texts tailored for their use.

“This is also an important victory for multilateralism and the international community, which showed its ability to come together to improve the lives of people around the world, bringing literacy and the opportunity of literacy to visually impaired persons worldwide,” he added.

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