U.S. Deposits Instrument of Ratification to the Marrakesh Treaty
The United States today deposited the instrument of ratification to the Marrakesh Treaty, a landmark treaty which will help reduce the global shortage of print materials in accessible formats such as Braille for blind, visually impaired and print disabled persons.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed the Marrakesh Treaty ratification document in late January. The instrument of ratification were received at the World Intellectual Property Organization by WIPO Director General Francis Gurry from Mark Cassayre, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, on February 8, 2019.
The brief ceremony at WIPO today begins the 90 day countdown until the treaty’s entry into force in the United States. When the Treaty takes effect in the U.S. in three months, some 550,000 accessible texts will become immediately available to visually impaired persons living in Marrakesh Treaty-adherent countries, according to figures from the U.S.-based National Federation for the Blind.
“The Marrakesh Treaty is first of all about people,” said Mark Cassayre, “When you think that less than 10 percent of printed material is accessible to the blind and visually impaired, you instantly recognize that you need to do something to change that. Think about what it will mean for visually impaired students to have broad access to educational materials, or for blind adults to be able to obtain resources in Braille or audio editions. This treaty has the potential to make a very real difference in the lives of millions of people, and the United States is very proud to be a party to it.”
USPTO Press Release: www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/us-ratification-marra...
WIPO Press Release: www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0002.html
U.S. Mission Photo/Eric Bridiers