Countries world-wide are being asked to sign up to and ratify The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities. The goal of the Marrakesh Treaty is to help to end the book famine faced by people who are blind, vision impaired or otherwise print disabled. Only a small percentage of the world’s published books ever make it into accessible formats.

Countries world-wide are being asked to sign up to and ratify The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities. The goal of the Marrakesh Treaty is to help to end the book famine faced by people who are blind, vision impaired or otherwise print disabled. Only a small percentage of the world’s published books ever make it into accessible formats. This is partly due to access barriers in copyright law, something the Treaty will help to remove.

Implications of the Marrakesh Treaty and its possible implementation in New Zealand have been under the microscope for a while. Due largely to the efforts of the World Blind Union, the Treaty was adopted in July 2013.

There need to be 20 countries signed up to the Treaty before it can be implemented. It is hoped that New Zealand and Australia will be amongst the first 20 countries. Blind Citizens NZ and the Blind Foundation are collaborating and engaging with government officials to influence Government to sign up to and eventually ratify the Treaty.

In order for New Zealand to do so, amendment to the Copyright Act is required. Section 69 allows registered organisations to convert published literary or dramatic works into formats accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired or who have other print disabilities, without infringing copyright in those works.

Hon Craig Foss, Minister of Commerce, has recently advised Blind Citizens NZ that he has directed officials at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to proceed with preparatory work to enable the Government to take a decision on accession to the Marrakesh Treaty. This will involve preparation of a discussion document for release in early 2015, subject to other priorities. Blind Citizens NZ and the Blind Foundation continue to work to advance this issue and look forward to working with officials.