Implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty for Visually Impaired Persons into the Chinese Copyright Law

Abstract

On June 27, 2013, the World Intellectual Property Organization adopted the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled in its efforts to resolve the global book famine of visually impaired persons by providing a series of copyright exceptions that facilitate access of the visually impaired to copyright works. As a member country of the WIPO, China signed but has not ratified the Marrakesh Treaty. However, it is important that China implement the treaty provisions into its copyright law before submitting ratification to the WIPO. Chinese lawmakers are thus advised to incorporate provisions of the Marrakesh Treaty into the national copyright legislations. This article analyzes the reasons for the global book famine of the visually impaired, examines the key provisions in the Marrakesh Treaty, and provides recommendations to incorporate the provisions of the Marrakesh Treaty into the Chinese copyright laws and regulations.