Washington, DC— The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was adopted in June 2013, and supported by a wide array of education and IP communities. The United States of America is a signatory to the Marrakesh Treaty, but it must be approved by the US Senate in order to be ratified and implemented in the US.
In March 2018, a bill was introduced in the Senate to approve the Marrakesh Treaty. The Association of University Presses has joined fellow higher education associations in a statement commending this action and encouraging swift approval by the Senate.
As the statement, co-signed with the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and EDUCAUSE, declares: “The Marrakesh Treaty offers a fair and transparent way to remedy the disadvantages that Americans with print disabilities confront when seeking to lawfully access the world’s printed materials.”