Marrakesh Treaty for people with print disability

The Marrakesh Treaty provides exceptions to copyright protections to permit the printing and sending of accessible material in Australia and across borders. The Treaty establishes an authorised network of accessible format distributers, in turn reducing costly duplications.

The Treaty is an international agreement that will help an estimated 285 million people worldwide have greater access to books published in accessible formats such as large print, braille or audio.

The Marrakesh Treaty was adopted at the World Intellectual Property Organisation in 2013 and Australia signed the agreement in June 2014.

Australia was among the first 20 countries to join the Marrakesh Treaty which came into force on 30 September 2016.

The Marrakesh Treaty implementation consultation process has more background information.

The full list of countries which have joined the Marrakesh Treaty can be found on the WIPO website.