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Pakistan now a signatory to Marrakesh Treaty
22 December 2023
Pakistan officially joined the Marrakesh Treaty after President Arif Alvi signed the instrument of accession to the Treaty on December 12, 2023.
The Marrakesh Treaty is a copyright treaty signed on June 27, 2013, in Marrakesh, Morocco. It aims to provide individuals who are visually impaired, print-disabled and have physical disabilities that hinder effective reading access to published materials. It seeks to achieve this by allowing the reproduction, distribution and cross-border exchange of copyright works between countries party to the treaty in braille, audio and large print formats.
Hasan Irfan Khan, Attorney at Law, United Trademark & Patent Services, Lahore
“This is a very welcome positive development, and Pakistan should have ratified it earlier for the benefit of differently-abled citizens. It would ensure the enjoyment of the fundamental right of education of such persons and would help them come into the mainstreams of life, resulting in their own, and society’s, social development,” said Hasan Irfan Khan, attorney at law at United Trademark & Patent Services in Lahore.
Pakistan’s Copyright Ordinance of 1962 prohibits compulsory printing and the reproduction of published works in braille and audio formats.
“The contracting parties are required to introduce a standard set of limitations and exceptions to copyright law to permit reproduction, distribution and making available of published works in formats designed to be accessible to such persons, and to permit the exchange of these works across borders by organizations that serve those beneficiaries,” added Khan, emphasizing the necessity for proper and effective implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty.
- Espie Angelica A. de Leon
