CMEC Copyright Consortium Pleased That Federal Government Will Acceed To Marrakesh VIP Treaty

TORONTO, May 1, 2015 /CNW/ - The Copyright Consortium of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), responded positively to the federal government's recent announcement that it intends to accede to the Marrakesh VIP Treaty (formally, the Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled). To implement the changes necessary to comply with the treaty, the federal government will amend the Copyright Act to permit printed information to be reproduced in an accessible format for Canadians who are blind, visually impaired, and print-disabled.

The CMEC Copyright Consortium is composed of provincial and territorial ministers of education, with the exception of Quebec.

In February 2014, the consortium wrote to federal ministers urging the Government of Canada to sign and ratify the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Marrakesh VIP Treaty. In this correspondence, education ministers supported the reproduction, distribution, and availability of printed information in accessible formats for Canadian students at all levels — elementary, secondary, and postsecondary.

"Members of the consortium are very pleased that the necessary copyright changes are being made to provide for persons with visual disabilities," said Nova Scotia Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Karen Casey, Chair of the CMEC Copyright Consortium. "It is very important that visually challenged Canadians have the right to education materials in an accessible print format. Once this treaty comes into force, it will be good news for those Canadians, who will be able to send and receive their formatted materials across our borders."

Canada is the eighth country to make the changes to its copyright law that are necessary for treaty implementation. Though Canada is acceding to the Marrakesh VIP Treaty, a total of 20 signatory countries are still needed before the treaty can come into force.

About CMEC and the Copyright Consortium

Founded in 1967, CMEC is the collective voice of Canada's ministers of education. It provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels and contributes to the exercise of the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories over education. Since 1999, the CMEC Copyright Consortium has been working to advance the views of its members on copyright issues related to education. For more information, visit us at www.cmec.ca.

SOURCE Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

Colin Bailey, Director, Communications, Cell: 416-938-1911, Tel.: [phone], ext. 259, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @CCMEC