Jamaica Accedes to the Marrakesh Treaty

Jamaica marked a momentous occasion on Wednesday, August 28, when the nation officially acceded to the Marrakesh Treaty.

The Treaty, which was adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2013, is a pivotal international agreement designed to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled.

Speaking during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s head office in Kingston on Wednesday, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, welcomed the accession, noting that “the Treaty represents a significant advancement in promoting inclusivity and access to knowledge for one of the most vulnerable groups in our society”.

The 2001 Population and Housing Census conducted in Jamaica indicates that 163,206 citizens, or 6.3 per cent of the population, have a disability, with visual impairment being the most common.

Senator Hill informed that the Treaty aims to address the global “book famine” that disproportionately affects individuals with visual or print impairments.

He noted that the “book famine” for blind or visually impaired individuals is severe, with only one to seven per cent of published books accessible to them.

“So, we need to get that number rising to a much higher percentage, and this acceding to the Marrakesh Treaty and exempting people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print impaired from needing a copyright arrangement is a very good thing,” Senator Hill said.

He added that the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce is “very happy to be the Ministry – Jamaica’s Business Ministry – to take this into the community and to make sure that legal impediment is now removed by us [acceding to] the Marrakesh Treaty”.

Meanwhile, Executive Director, Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), Lilyclaire Bellamy, said the Treaty is “very important and significant for Jamaica”.

She noted that Jamaica’s neighbours – Canada and the United States – are parties to the Treaty and have several works in accessible format, which the island would now be able to obtain.

“It allows for cross-border exchange. So what that means is… we are allowed to import those books, and it’s not an infringement of copyright,” Ms. Bellamy stated.