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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | India wants copyright laws eased for visually impaired -Anubhuti Vishnoi

India wants copyright laws eased for visually impaired -Anubhuti Vishnoi

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published Published on May 13, 2013   modified Modified on May 13, 2013
-The Indian Express


New Delhi: Home to one-fourth of the world's visually-challenged persons, India will play a key role in negotiating a historic international treaty next month that will ensure that the community's access to globally-published material is not stymied by rigid copyright rules.

The Extraordinary General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has called a diplomatic conference in June (17th-28 th) 2013 in Marrakesh, Morocco, to conclude the WIPO Treaty for Visually Impaired Persons/Persons with Print disabilities.

The treaty holds the promise of ushering in a " more flexible copyright regime adapted to current technological realities" and would benefit over 300 million blind or visually impaired/reading impaired persons. The move is pertinent because majority of world's visually-impaired persons live in developing or least developed countries and only a small fraction of published material is available in accessible formats like Braille, audio books, large print formats and digital and assistive books.

The treaty aims to create a global framework to allow visually impaired persons access all published material in accessible formats freely or at a reasonable price. In May 2012, India brought in the Copyright Amendment Act that permits a visually impaired person to convert any book into accessible formats without copyright permission from publishers. India is now advocating that this level-playing field be extended worldwide. The proposal is likely to hurt global publishers.

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry will soon seek Cabinet nod for the terms on which it will negotiate the international treaty. "It is imperative that international publishers also allow free conversion of books to accessible formats as the bulk of technical books across subjects still come from the West. That apart, in this digital age, Braille alone is not the answer. Both India and Africa have been trying to get this through", said an HRD official.

The official said that while Europe and the US agrees with the idea, they want to bring in far too many conditions as they feel that unconditional access could lead to dilution of their copyright. "But bringing in too many conditions and limitations will only create hurdles and defeat our very purpose. The Morocco conference will be critical and will have to find a fine balance," the official added.

Dr Sam Taraporevala, Director, Xavier's Resource Centre for the visually challenged and Vice President Committee on Policy Intervention Daisy Forum of India, has already written to the HRD minister Pallam Raju requesting him "to ensure India plays a key role in signing and ratifying the treaty".


The Indian Express, 13 May, 2013, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-wants-copyright-laws-eased-for-visually-impaired/1114992/


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