My 3 comments to The Washington Post Business Article: Group finalizes treaty to expand book access for worlds blind

community Last week, blind singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder promised that he would perform for the WIPO negotiators once the treaty was completed. According to the World Blind Union, the multiple Grammy award winner will honor his pledge on Friday at the treaty signing ceremony and celebration in Marrakesh. By Hayley Tsukayama and Tom Hamburger |04:15 PM ET, 06/26/2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/group-finalizes-treaty-to-expandbook-access-for-worlds-blind-community/2013/06/26/461311fe-de83-11e2-948cd644453cf169_blog.html

3 Comments (All by me) travel_brl 6/29/2013 6:05 AM GMT+0700 Stevie Wonder is quoted on Ip-watch saying: Here is the bottom line: We will get this ratified ... I would not want to write a song to talk about those countries who did not ratify. If Mr. Wonder goes before the US Senate Judiciary Committee, as has been suggested on Twitter, I would expect with some Senator it might go something like this: Mr. Wonder, Forbes says you are worth $100+ million based on your control of copyrighted material. Now you come in here and based upon the study by our committee staff you want to declare open season on US copyrighted material such that, with some popular volumes, there may be more free copies in circulation world-wide than there are paid for copies world wide through the normal channels After all, they are for FREE. There isnt even any requirement in the Treaty text as there is with

the US Section 121 Chafee Amendment that there be documented proof of disability just that an Authorized Entity sets up its own procedures and practices and gives further effort when sending valuable copyrighted documents in accessible format to someone half-way around the world that claims a qualifying disability. That practice could be a note from some ones Mother. And an authorized entity as defined can be a government agency or any one room school house or government approved library that has helped out a print disabled person anywhere in the world. The US alone (according to the American Library Association) has about 100,000 libraries big and small. The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) is on record with the UK Intellectual Property Office that one in eight persons (at least in UK) cannot read standard print due to sight problems, dyslexia, or a disability which makes it difficult for us to hold a book or turn a page. Thats about one billion persons world wide who you now suggest should now be exempt from US copyright regulation and restrictions. Is that really what you are now asking us to approve? travel_brl 6/28/2013 1:03 AM GMT+0700 In their statement 12 JUN 2013 the World Blind Union (WBU) said the following: "TROJAN HORSE ... it is frustrating to say the least to see that WBU / our draft treaty is still often referred to or seen as a "Trojan Horse" or the top of a "slippery slope" which could lead to the end of copyright / IP law as we know it!! It must be judged on its own merits, not on the merits of other issues that might come up in the future or indeed on the basis of feelings about some of the NGOs which have voiced support for it." KEI's staff attorney in a PR released today said: "Hopefully, this is just the first milestone and that greater protections for human rights and promotion of the public interest will follow."

There are currently 2 other treaty proposals on the WIPO agenda: Exceptions for libraries and exceptions for educational materials. If it proves that some involved (sic) in the process of getting the Marrakesh Treaty approved were disingenuous in their many public statements that they have no further agenda, this may be taken into consideration as ratification procedures especially in those WIPO Member States who will actually be providing -- rather than just consuming -- copyrighted materials will soon take place. travel_brl 6/27/2013 3:39 AM GMT+0700 From the above: (JL) said that final language blocked efforts by the motion picture industry to apply new tests for exceptions to copyright rules. A note on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Adopted by the UN General Assembly 2006; Signed by the USA 2009; Ratification vote by the US Senate 2012: defeated. As Sir Alfred Hitchcock noted: "If it doesn't gel, it isn't aspic"