The "Marrakesh Treaty To Facilitate Access To Published Works For Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired Or Otherwise Print Disabled" which was adopted at the diplomatic conference held by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on June 27, 2013 in Marrakesh, Morocco, was ratified by Turkey with its publication in the Official Gazette on 20.03.2021.
The Marrakesh Treaty, prepared in line with the principles of human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, is the first international copyright agreement to include a clear human rights perspective. In this context, the Marrakesh Treaty reveals the importance of copyright systems in solving the problem of accessibility of printed materials for people who are blind, visually impaired or disabled to read printed materials because of any other reason.
The Marrakesh Treaty stipulates two main obligations at the national level to the parties when implementing the Treaty. The first of these is the restrictions and exceptions that give rights and powers to authorized institutions and beneficiaries in the production of alternative format copies suitable for the access of people who are blind, visually impaired or disabled to read printed materials because of any other reason. The second is that the cross-border exchange of these alternative format copies created within the framework of the Treaty is permitted in national law.
• The Treaty is the first international copyright agreement that includes a human rights perspective, and basically aims to facilitate the effective and rapid access of people with visual and reading impairments to the works in accordance with current technological developments in the world.
• By participating in this Treaty, an important step has been taken in terms of facilitating the access of visually and other print disabled people to works both in Turkey and abroad.
• The Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works numbered 5846, which is the basic law regulating copyright and related rights in Turkey, allowing the reproduction and lending of works in favour of the disabled. In addition, it is envisaged to make an amendment in Turkey’s domestic legislation in order to strengthen the regulation in favour of the disabled in a way to meet technological developments and to allow the exchange of accessible alternative formats.
| Name of partner | Type of entity |
|---|---|
Ministry of Culture and Tourism/ Ministry of Family and Social Services/ Related Public Institutions
| Public Sector
|
CSO’s and NGO’ s working for Disabled People
| Civil Society Organization (CSO)
|