The Marrakesh Treaty expands Section 121 of the Copyright Act to include all literary works, plus musical works fixed in the form of text or notation. It also offers a broader definition of formats that may be produced in an effort to ensure that all beneficiaries have access to works that is equivalent to a person without a disability.
According to the World Blind Union, of the millions of books published each year, approximately only 1-7 percent are made available to those who are visually impaired. On January 28, President Donald J. Trump signed the documents for the United States to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. The treaty was adopted in Marrakesh, Morocco in 2013. The goal of the copyright treaty is to increase access to printed materials for those with visual or other disabilities. The treaty is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
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Jake Wharton devotes his practice primarily to intellectual property dispute resolution, including patent, trademark, and copyright infringement litigation; proceedings before the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board; trade secret misappropriation litigation; antitrust matters; and related intellectual property disputes. He also has counseled clients on defamation and trade libel matters.