[Akron-Talk] House of Representatives Passes Marrakesh Treaty Act

[Dave Bertsch]

All, Richard forwarded this good news, and it also came from the main legislative person at the NFB. A huge undertaking by the NFB starting years ago, finally succeeded. Here is the brief statement on the NFB Facebook page, and then the press release from the NFB.

>From Facebook--We are pleased to announce that the United States House of Representatives has just passed the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act. This legislation is the next step toward ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty, which will make more books accessible to blind people than ever before.

>From the NFB PR team--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

US House of Representatives Passes Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act Treaty Now Awaits Presidential Action

Washington, DC (September 25, 2018): The United States House of Representatives has passed the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559), which makes modest changes to copyright law that will bring the United States into compliance with the terms of the Marrakesh Treaty. The Senate gave its advice and consent to ratification of the treaty and passed the implementing legislation on June 28.

"For almost a decade now, the National Federation of the Blind, our partners, and other advocates have worked to bring the Marrakesh Treaty into being and into force," said Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. "Today we applaud the United States House of Representatives for its passage of the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act. We now urge President Trump to sign this implementing legislation, and to order the State Department to deposit the instrument of ratification with the World Intellectual Property Organization as soon as practicable. We are closer than ever to the day when blind Americans will have greater access to the world's knowledge, in many of its original languages, than we have ever had in human history."

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CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen at nfb.org<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>>