Canada has ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, becoming the 20th country to do so. This follows the signing of the treaty by Ecuador and Guatemala earlier in the week. Canada's ratification was done Thursday, which also marks the 2 year anniversary of India passing the treaty, which was the first country to do so. The ratification of this treaty will bring many advantages to Canadian citizens with print disabilities.
The treaty, among other things, requires that the governments in ratifying countries have an exception to their copyright law. This exception permits individuals, organizations, and agencies to produce materials in specialized formats for people with reading disabilities. It also gives people and organizations the right to share content in specialized formats with their counterparts in other countries which have also signed the treaty. This eliminates the need for the duplication of content preparation and production. In Canada, the treaty will take effect September 30, 2016.
At this time, the United Sates has not signed on to ratified the Marrakesh treaty. Though the US does have something similar in the form of the Chaffee Amendment to the copyright law, it only applies to materials produced in the United Sates. Though many consumer and professional organizations serving people with print disabilities have signed a letter urging congress to support the treaty, congress has yet to act on this request.
Source: World Intellectual Property OrganizationCategory: News
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