Treaty for the Visually Impaired

A diplomatic conference is currently being held in Marrakesh, Morocco to consider a treaty to faciliate access to published works by visually impaired persons.  The treaty negotiations have run into a snag, however.  While the goal of increasing access for disabled persons is certainly laudable, some copyright owners are concerned that the treaty would weaken copyright protections and set a bad precedent by allowing the reproduction and distribution of books and other published material in different, more accessible formats, like audio, large print and Braille, without the author's permission. In particular, the motion picture, music and book publishing industries have raised objections to some of the proposed treaty language.  The Washington Post today contains an article with more details.  Information about the diplomatic conference may also be found on the WIPO website.

(cgb)