WIPO Director Pleads With Countries To Advance Treaty For Visually Impaired

(Intellectual Property Watch)
November 19, 2012

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily Express] Visually impaired and print-disabled persons have high expectations for the results of this week’s negotiations on copyright exceptions and limitations at the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry told the opening of a committee meeting today.

The 25th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights is taking place from 19-23 November. The high profile subject of this week’s meeting is a draft text of an instrument providing limitations and exceptions to copyright for blind/visually impaired persons and persons with print disabilities.

Gurry said meeting the expectations of the visually impaired community and the print disabled depends on delegates. He said he made a plea to delegates “to rise sufficiently above your national positions to see the common good that can be achieved for the international community through the conclusion of a new treaty in this area and to see the improvement that you are able to actually deliver for the visually impaired and the print disabled.”

Also on this week’s agenda are three other working documents delegates are mandated to advance: a draft treaty text on the protection of broadcasting organisations, a working document on exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives, and a working document on limitations and exceptions for educational, teaching and research institutions and persons with other disabilities.

Entire article:
WIPO Director Pleads With Countries To Advance Treaty For Visually Impaired
http://tinyurl.com/ide1119122a
Related:
Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights : Twenty-Fifth Session (World Intellectual Property Organization)
http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/details.jsp?meeting_id=25024