Filmmakers’ group tries to reshape treaty that would benefit the blind
Source: Washington Post
Hundreds of negotiators from around the world have descended on Morocco this week to finalize a treaty aimed at ensuring that millions of blind and vision-impaired people can get books in accessible formats like audio, Braille and large-print.
But the treaty, years in the making, could now be in jeopardy because of unresolved differences between advocates for the blind and the Motion Picture Association of America, which says the accord could undermine protections important for filmmakers, publishers and other major industries.
The agreement, known as the known as the treaty for Visually Impaired Persons, would allow for such books to be distributed internationally, which is now largely prohibited, and encourage governments to allow books to be converted to accessible formats without having to get permission from copyright owners every time.
Advocates for the blind are pressing to extend the kind of rights afforded by U.S. law — which allow books to be converted to accessible formats without seeking permission from copyright holders — to the 300 million blind and visually impaired people around the globe. Currently, only 1 percent of the world’s books are in such a format, according to the World Blind Union.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/filmmakers-group-tries-to-reshape-treaty-that-would-benefit-the-blind/2013/06/22/f98e6130-d761-11e2-9df4-895344c13c30_singlePage.html
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