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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>GREAT NEWS!</DIV>
<DIV>Received from Andy Smith, NFBNJ Technology Division board member.</DIV>
<DIV>Note: Shortly, you will be receiving a press release from the NFB
highlighting the Marrakesh Treaty, ending the book famine!</DIV>
<DIV>Warmly,</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">We
care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Raising
Expectations To Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314</DIV>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR:
#000000"><BR>****
</DIV>
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<DIV> Joe, you might consider
forwarding this on.</DIV>
<DIV>Marrakesh Treaty – Ending the “book famine” <<A
href="https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0002.html">https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0002.html</A>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Geneva, February 8, 2019</DIV>
<DIV>PR/2019/828</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The United States of America has joined WIPO’s fast-growing Marrakesh
Treaty as its 50th member, adding a major global publishing center to the
Treaty
that promotes the increased worldwide availability of texts specially
adapted
for use by persons with visual or print impairments.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The U.S. is home to the largest number of English-language texts in
accessible formats, such as Braille, for use by people living with print or
visual disabilities. The Treaty eases the creation and international
transfer of
accessible texts among its 50 contracting parties, which cover 78 countries
(including the 28-member European Union).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Video: Video <<A
href="https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0002.html#wipoModal1">https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0002.html#wipoModal1</A>>
(Watch on YouTube <<A
href="https://youtu.be/ANi9FQ6l0P4">https://youtu.be/ANi9FQ6l0P4</A>>)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed the Marrakesh Treaty ratification
document, which was received by WIPO Director General Francis Gurry from
Mark
Cassayre, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in
Geneva,
on February 8, 2019.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>WIPO Director General Francis Gurry and Mark Cassayre, Chargé d’Affaires
of
the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva (photo: WIPO/Berrod)</DIV>
<DIV>When the Treaty takes effect in the U.S. in three months, some 550,000
accessible texts will become immediately available to visually impaired
persons
living in Marrakesh Treaty-adherent countries, according to figures from the
U.S.-based National Federation of the Blind.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>“The Marrakesh Treaty is WIPO’s fastest-growing treaty and we hope it
becomes a universal one soon, so visually impaired people in every corner of
the
globe can more easily benefit from learning and culture no matter where it
is
created,” said Mr. Gurry. “The U.S. already houses the world’s largest
repository of accessible English-language material, representing a major
increase in the global resource base for visually impaired people
living
in countries that have joined the Marrakesh Treaty,” he said.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>“I’m proud of American leadership and the USPTO’s efforts in the
negotiation of the Marrakesh Treaty, and the opportunities that our
ratification
creates for the blind and visually impaired community in the United States
and
around the world,” said Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO). “This treaty establishes an important mechanism to both protect
intellectual property rights and expand access to information and
resources.”</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>“The United States’ formal membership in the Marrakesh Treaty marks a
major
achievement for our country and a significant positive step forward for the
millions of persons who are blind and visually impaired throughout the
world,”
said Karyn A. Temple, Acting Register of Copyrights and Director of the
United
States Copyright Office. “The United States will now join our fellow nations
in
promoting greater accessibility to print materials around the globe.”</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>“The National Federation of the Blind seeks the removal of all
artificial
or unnecessary barriers to access to knowledge by the blind,” said Mark
Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “That is why
we
championed the Marrakesh Treaty and fought for its signing and ratification
by
the United States. Today’s deposit of the US ratification instrument
represents
the culmination of that effort, but even more importantly, it represents
greater
access to the world’s literature and knowledge for blind people in America
and
across the world. We are therefore pleased to celebrate this historic moment
with our blind brothers and sisters everywhere.”</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>“We pause to celebrate this moment as the United States formally joins
the
Marrakesh Treaty," said Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO of the
Association
of American Publishers. “Having worked so tirelessly with so many talented
partners to realize a better legal framework for accessible formats,
publishers
now salute the many readers throughout the world who are blind, visually
impaired or otherwise living with print disabilities. Congratulations and
happy
reading!"</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Marrakesh Treaty – Ending the “book famine”</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Contracting parties to the “Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to
Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise
Print
Disabled <<A
href="https://www.wipo.int/marrakesh_treaty/en/">https://www.wipo.int/marrakesh_treaty/en/</A>>”
adopt national law provisions that permit the production of books in
accessible
formats, such as braille, e-text, audio or large print, by organizations
known
as authorized entities that serve people who are print disabled. It
also
allows for the exchange of such accessible texts across national boundaries,
all
without requesting authorization from the copyright owner. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The World Health Organization estimates that 253 million are living
with
visually impairments around the world, with the majority located in
lower-income
countries.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Treaty was adopted on June 27, 2013, at a diplomatic conference
organized by WIPO and hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in Marrakesh. The
treaty
entered into force on September 30, 2016, three months after it gained the
necessary 20 ratifications or accessions by WIPO members.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>ABC - The Accessible Books Consortium</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>WIPO and its partners created the Accessible Books Consortium <<A
href="https://www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org/">https://www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org/</A>>
(ABC) in 2014 to help implement the Marrakesh Treaty at a practical level.
Its
activities include the ABC Global Book Service, with 320,000 titles
currently
available for cross-border exchange under the Treaty’s terms. This number
will
eventually grow to 370,000 after the Treaty enters into force in the U.S.,
when
titles can be added from the U.S. National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped (NLS), a long-standing member of ABC.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Forty-seven authorized entities have joined the ABC Global Book
Service,
which contains accessible books in 76 languages. The majority of the Book
Service’s titles are available in high-quality, human-narrated
audiobooks.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>ABC also works to promote the creation of “born-accessible” texts that
can
be immediately used by people with visual impairments at the time of first
publication, further streamlining the process to bring the world’s knowledge
and
culture into the hands of people living with visual impairments.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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