Australian book industry welcomes the Marrakesh Treaty
Announcement posted by Australian Publishers Association 29 Sep 2016
The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works to Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities comes into effect today. It is an important step towards making the world of the written word accessible to those with vision and perceptual impairment.
The Books Create Australia alliance supports the view that access to the written word is vital for all Australians.
The Treaty establishes a copyright exception for visually impaired people and facilitates cross-border sharing of accessible versions of books in formats such as adapted electronic, braille, audio and large print. Cross-border sharing will increase the overall number of accessible versions of works in circulation worldwide by eliminating duplication and reducing friction in their delivery to print disabled people.
Australian copyright legislation has had an exception for the vision impaired facilitating access for many years.
“The Australian book industry has a long and proud tradition of making publications in accessible format and of making master files available to organisations working with the print-handicapped community. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to improve accessibility through practical solutions with real impact” said Michael Gordon-Smith, Chief Executive of the Australian Publishers Association.
The Australian Publishers Association (APA), Australian Booksellers Association (ABA), the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and the Print Industry Association of Australia (PIAA) support collaborative approaches to the implementation on the Marrakesh Treaty in Australia.
As part of the book industry’s commitment to accessibility for the print disabled, the APA is a supporter of the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC).
What is the Accessible Books Consortium?
The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) aims to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats - such as braille, audio and large print - and to make them available to people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print disabled. The ABC is a multi-stakeholder partnership, co-founded by the International Publishers Association, World Blind Union (WBU), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).
What is the Books Create Australia alliance?
Publishers, bookshops, printers, authors, literary agents and readers have united in support of the #BooksCreate Australia campaign, voicing opposition to the proposed changes to copyright and PIRs by the Productivity Commission in their report on Intellectual Property Arrangements in Australia.
Keep up with the latest news on the Australian book publishing industry’s advocacy campaign:
bookscreateaustralia.com.au #BooksCreate
Twitter @bookscreateaus | Facebook Books Create Australia | Instagram @bookscreateaus
For more information and/or interviews, please contact:
Emma Rusher, House of Rusher T 0423 213 626 | E emma@houseofrusher.com
The Books Create Australia alliance supports the view that access to the written word is vital for all Australians.
The Treaty establishes a copyright exception for visually impaired people and facilitates cross-border sharing of accessible versions of books in formats such as adapted electronic, braille, audio and large print. Cross-border sharing will increase the overall number of accessible versions of works in circulation worldwide by eliminating duplication and reducing friction in their delivery to print disabled people.
Australian copyright legislation has had an exception for the vision impaired facilitating access for many years.
“The Australian book industry has a long and proud tradition of making publications in accessible format and of making master files available to organisations working with the print-handicapped community. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to improve accessibility through practical solutions with real impact” said Michael Gordon-Smith, Chief Executive of the Australian Publishers Association.
The Australian Publishers Association (APA), Australian Booksellers Association (ABA), the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and the Print Industry Association of Australia (PIAA) support collaborative approaches to the implementation on the Marrakesh Treaty in Australia.
As part of the book industry’s commitment to accessibility for the print disabled, the APA is a supporter of the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC).
What is the Accessible Books Consortium?
The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) aims to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats - such as braille, audio and large print - and to make them available to people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print disabled. The ABC is a multi-stakeholder partnership, co-founded by the International Publishers Association, World Blind Union (WBU), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).
What is the Books Create Australia alliance?
Publishers, bookshops, printers, authors, literary agents and readers have united in support of the #BooksCreate Australia campaign, voicing opposition to the proposed changes to copyright and PIRs by the Productivity Commission in their report on Intellectual Property Arrangements in Australia.
Keep up with the latest news on the Australian book publishing industry’s advocacy campaign:
bookscreateaustralia.com.au #BooksCreate
Twitter @bookscreateaus | Facebook Books Create Australia | Instagram @bookscreateaus
For more information and/or interviews, please contact:
Emma Rusher, House of Rusher T 0423 213 626 | E emma@houseofrusher.com