MARRAKESH ACCORD

About:

• Timeline: The Treaty was adopted in 2013, at a conference organized by WIPO and hosted by Morocco in Marrakesh. The Treaty entered into force in 2016, after it gained the necessary 20 ratifications by WIPO member states.
  
  
• Accessible Books Consortium (ABC): It is a stakeholder forum established in 2014 at the WIPO headquarters, which assists in the implementation of the Marrakesh provisions.
  
  
• Coverage: With the ratification by EU, the coverage of the Marrakesh treaty now expands to 70 countries.
  
  
• Indian scenario: India was among the earliest to ratify the Marrakesh treaty in 2014.The Sugamya Pustakalay, a government-backed private initiative, has been engaged in the creation of accessible texts in several Indian languages.
  
  

Key provisions:

• The governments that are party to the Marrakesh accord are obliged to adopt laws authorising the conversion of books into accessible formats such as braille, e-text, audio and large print by designated organisations.
  
  
• It also allows for the exchange of such accessible texts across national boundaries, all without requesting authorization from the copyright owner.