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LIRA@BC Law

Abstract

Today, a global book famine deprives hundreds of millions of persons with print disabilities access to basic information worldwide. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reports that the visually impaired have access to merely 5 percent of published books. Amid the global movement to reevaluate copyright laws for the digital age, a watershed opportunity exists to harmonize the deficient patchwork of national and international copyright laws perpetuating the book famine. After years of stalled progress, WIPO recently adopted the landmark Marrakesh Treaty to alleviate copyright barriers to access for the print-disabled worldwide. This Note argues that the United States should support the Marrakesh Treaty, while also continuing its national reform efforts. Since the Marrakesh Treaty is not a comprehensive solution, this Note advocates for United States to utilize this historic treaty as a vehicle to modernize its own national copyright laws to achieve equitable access for persons with print disabilities.

Files

File nameDate UploadedVisibilityFile size
05_Fitzpatrick_Final_A1b.pdf
8 Sep 2022
Public
516 kB

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Metadata

  • Subject
    • Disability Law

    • Intellectual Property Law

    • International Law

    • International Trade Law

  • Journal title
    • Boston College International and Comparative Law Review

  • Volume
    • 37

  • Issue
    • 1

  • Pagination
    • 139

  • Date submitted

    8 September 2022