2013년 7월 4일 목요일

마라케시 조약 체결 소식


Over 50 Countries Sign Marrakesh Treaty On Copyright Exceptions And Limitations For The Blind

Published on 1 July 2013 @ 2:17 pm

By , Intellectual Property Watch
Marrakesh treaty for the blindMarrakesh, Morocco – The 28 June signing of the new international treaty to improve access to published materials for the visually impaired brought relief to the beneficiaries and satisfaction to delegations. But some underlined the need to sign and ratify the new treaty.
On the final day of the World Intellectual Property Organization diplomatic conference, held from 17-28 June, fifty-one countries signed the treaty to the loud applause of the plenary, in particular from the visually impaired people. A large number of developing countries, notably from Africa and Latin America, signed the treaty. A few developed countries signed the treaty, such as Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Mustapha Khalfi, the Moroccan Minister of Communication and president of the diplomatic conference, said the initial list of 37 issues was sobering and the slow initial progress in the negotiations was even more troubling than the list. The spirit of compromise helped resolve those issues, he said, and urged countries to ratify and implement the treaty, with the aim of ratification within months.
Last-Minute Flap over Treaty Name before Adoption
As the closing plenary was waiting to proceed, some last-minute negotiations were held. The text was released in late morning with a new title: “Marrakesh Treaty to Improve Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled.” The mention of limitations and exceptions had disappeared from the title. According to sources, this was at the request of the United States and the European Union.
Mustapha Khalfi (left), the Moroccan Minister of Communication congratulating Melanie Brunson (right), American Council of the Blind. (Photo Credit: Catherine Saez, IP-Watch)
Mustapha Khalfi (left), the Moroccan Minister of Communication congratulating Melanie Brunson (right), American Council of the Blind. (Photo Credit: Catherine Saez, IP-Watch)
Minutes before the adoption of the draft treaty, Khalfi gave some clarification on footnote 9 of Article 5.4b (Cross-Border Exchange of Accessible Format Copies). The footnote reads: “It is understood that nothing in this Treaty creates any obligations for a Contracting Party to ratify or accede to the WCT [WIPO Copyright Treaty] or to comply with any of its provisions and nothing in this Treaty prejudices any rights, limitations and exceptions contained in the WCT.”
Khalfi said when the agreed statement refers to contracting parties, it only refers to those contracting parties to the Marrakesh treaty who have not yet joined the WCT and thus have no existing obligations under that treaty when member states ratify or accede to the WCT they are then bound by the terms of that treaty.
India, on behalf of the Asian Group, remarked that the title of the treaty had changed and asked when this was discussed in main Committee 1. Khalfi said the issue had been examined in the Steering Committee, that after consultations in regional groups it appeared that the title should reflect the content and goals of the treaty. The title was amended, he said, in order to facilitate the ratification of the treaty, facilitate the communication regarding the treaty, and in order to gain support for it.
The Indian delegate said as Asian Group coordinator that she was not consulted on the issue, but India had no intention of breaking the consensus and would accept the new title if everyone else agreed with it. She also proposed that the word “improve” in the title be replaced by “facilitate,” which was agreed to by Egypt and the United States. The treaty was thus adopted to much cheering.
Pressure had multiple faces in the negotiations. For example, the publishing industry was pushing for the inclusion of measures to protect the interests of right holders. For African countries, it was important to achieve a treaty for which they were demandeurs on African soil, and for the host country it was equally important.
According to sources, some members of Group B, the developed country group, showed a more flexible approach, such as Australia and Switzerland, for example on commercial availability. After the enthusiasm and relief provided by what was hailed as an historic agreement, the tone was still very positive, but some developing countries said that a lot of compromises had to be made to accommodate the request of the European Union and the United States.
The treaty sends a message to the world Khalfi said, that globalisation has a human face. “There are no winners and no losers, this treaty is for everyone,” he said. Some thirty-seven points of contention were overcome, he said, adding that given the treaty, he would not close the Marrakesh airport, which he had said Morocco would do if a treaty was not agreed on by Friday. “We won’t have to do it,” he said jokingly, inviting delegates to stay for as long as they liked.
Developing Countries Ask Speedy Adoption
The floor was then open for delegations to make their final statements, all of which greeted the achievement, and a number of them called for the quick adoption of the treaty.
Algeria, on behalf of the African Group, said the treaty was only the first step “in the long march” to reach balance in the international intellectual property system. “A system which has been, for too long, taking care mostly of the private interests of right holders sometime at the expense of the larger public interest,” he said. It represents a shift in the IP regime that allows access to copyrighted work without prejudice of copyright holders, he added.
“Compromises and concessions were made to reach this agreement and for this very reason and every delegation can rightly claim a part of this success,” he said.
A lot is left to be undertaken to meet the challenge to implementing this agreement so as to make a real difference on the ground, he added and it is “our expectation that all members of WIPO expedite their accession to the treaty.” This request was echoed by the “Asia and Pacific Group”, and the Central European and Baltic States Group.
Group B hailed the success of the diplomatic conference, the fact that the treaty was “exceptional” and balanced, and said after the Beijing momentum, there now was a “Marrakesh spirit.”
The US Department of State, in a 28 June press release, said, “Adoption of the treaty is the first step, and the Administration looks forward to working with Congress to secure advice and consent to ratification of the Treaty.”
The Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries, which were the first supporters of the treaty, expressed satisfaction at the work done. The challenge continues, the delegate of the Dominican Republic said on behalf of the group, the second phase of this process is the responsible implantation of the treaty.
A long list of countries wanting to take the floor pushed the plenary into the evening.
Brazil said in their statement [pdf] “The path that has led us to this day was not easy. During four years we have faced intense and complex debates. Many expressed concerns with the possible negative impacts that the new treaty could have in the international intellectual property system, such as the uncontrolled access to works in the digital environment.”
“With the passing of time, however, these concerns were overcome as debates deepened and innovative solutions emerged, with a view to guaranteeing the just protection to the rights of creators,” Brazil said.
“With this treaty, WIPO embraces in its actions a humanitarian vision, fulfilling its vocation as a specialised agency of the United Nations in the regulation of intellectual property,” Brazil said, urging countries to ratify the treaty.
Twenty ratifications are necessary for the entry into force of the treaty.
Algeria said that in most developing countries, it was not the lack of political will but scarcity of material and financial hurdles that prevent countries from integrating visually impaired people.
The United States, and the European Union, which were described by many as having been the most reluctant to a treaty in the early days, gave lauding statements. The European Union released a press release in which European Commissioner Michel Barnier said, “Great news today: our collective effort has made it possible to adopt a new international treaty that means that finally, the visually impaired and print-disabled community will be able to have access to the same books as other people. For too long, this community has been denied the access to knowledge and culture they are entitled to in exactly the same way as everyone else.”
Khalfi congratulating Brunson. (Photo Credit: Catherine Saez, IP-Watch)
Khalfi congratulating Brunson. (Photo Credit: Catherine Saez, IP-Watch)
Justin Hughes, chief negotiator for the US, said in hisstatement [pdf] that the US delegation “believes this Diplomatic Conference has indeed produced something truly excellent.”
Hughes said that crafting an international instrument on copyright exceptions is one step on the road to ensuring that the blind and others with print disabilities can get the information and education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities.
“Sometimes,” he said “government officials think that, when they pass legislation or create a treaty, the problem they are addressing goes away.”
“Not only will Member States have to ratify this treaty,” he said, “but scores of countries need to join the approximately 60 Member States that have clear exceptions in their national copyright laws for the blind, additional authorized entities will have to be established and capacity built.”
China told Intellectual Property Watch that the country “is very pleased to see the conclusion of this Treaty.” “China has one of the largest populations with visual impairment and other printed disabilities in the world,” the delegate said.
“The Treaty has far-reaching impact since it is the first treaty on limitations and exceptions in the field of intellectual property and it brings sunshine to the blind world. We are also very happy to find that the ‘Spirit of Beijing’ appeared again and the follower of hard work blossomed here in Marrakesh,” they said.
According to sources from developing and developed countries, the lack of a clause on technical assistance in the treaty can be detrimental to its implementation since a number of authorised entities will need capacity building.
Civil Society
A number of civil society groups and other stakeholders also took the floor, such as the TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (here), the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (here) [pdf], and visually impaired persons.
Marcus Low, on behalf of the Civil Society Coalition, said that through the exceptions and limitations awarded by the treaty, “we recognise the human rights of blind people.”
“However,” he said, “as important and historic as it is, this treaty is only a means to an end,” calling countries to ratify the treaty “as a matter of extreme urgency.” “I want to express my deepest respect and gratitude to those negotiators who stood firm on behalf of blind people and refused to give way under tremendous pressure.”
In its closing statement, Knowledge Ecology International hailed the treaty but said, “It is also unfortunate that nearly all negotiations on the text took place either off the record, or in secret. The records of the diplomatic conference will be very limited, with little information about country positions or the rationale for various articles,” adding, “That said, with all of these flaws, WIPO is now the most transparent forum for intellectual property norm setting, by far.”
According to sources, the list of signatories is: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Holy See, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,  Republic of Moldova, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

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Catherine Saez may be reached at info@ip-watch.ch.

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시각장애인 위한 '꿈 속의 도서관' 열릴 전망

'마라케시 조약' 채택, 시각장애인의 저작물 접근권 개선
출처: http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0001882139



"신은 빛을 여읜 눈을 이 장서 도시의 주인으로 만들었다. 내 눈은 꿈속의 도서관에서 읽을 수 있을 뿐" 



아르헨티나의 소설가 호르헤 루이스 보르헤스의 시 '축복의 시' 중 한 구절이다. 보르헤스는 불운의 작가다. 평생 20여 권 안팎의 작품을 남겼지만, 그의 작품이 20세기 사상계에 끼친 영향은 적지 않았다. 

라틴 아메리카 문학을 대표했던 파블로 네루다, 가르시아 마르케스 등은 노벨문학상을 받았지만, 보르헤스는 받지 못했다. 하지만 정작 그를 불행하게 했던 것은 따로 있었다. 아르헨티나 국립도서관 관장으로 80만 권의 책을 관리하게 됐지만, 시력을 잃어 한 권도 읽을 수 없었다.

만약 그가 살아 있었다면, 지난달 27일은 축복의 날이었을 것이다. '시각장애인의 저작물 접근권 개선을 위한 마라케시 조약'이 세계지식재산기구(WIPO) 160개 회원국과 600여 명의 NGO 활동가가 참석한 가운데 모로코 마라케시에서 진통 끝에 통과되었기 때문이다.

기사 관련 사진
▲ 국제시각장애인연맹 국제시각장애인연맹이 마라케시 조약 체결 후 기자회견을 하고 있다. 유튜브캡쳐
ⓒ 유튜브

지난달 17일부터 28일까지 모로코 마라케시에서 개최된 세계지적재산권기구(WIPO) 외교회의에서 기적과 같은 합의가 이루어졌다. 약 5년 동안 치열한 공방을 벌였지만, 합의점을 찾지 못해 난항을 겪고 있었다.

마라케시 조약은 시각장애 및 기타 장애 때문에 저작물에 대한 접근을 제한받을 수밖에 없었던 장애인이 정당한 정보 접근권을 보장받기 위한 목적으로 추진되었다. 마라케시 조약을 승인한 국가와 기관은 큰활자책, 오디오 북, 점자도서 등 시각장애인이 이용할 수 있는 형식의 저작물을 저작권자 허락 없이 만들고 복제, 배포하고, 다른 회원국의 승인된 기관과 공유할 수 있다.

지적재산권 전문 언론 <IP-WATCH>는 이번 조약 체결의 성과를 "기적이자 역사적인 일"이라고 평가했다. 마라케시 조약 체결을 위해 수 년 동안 노력한 국제시각장애인연맹 등 시민사회단체 참가자들은 기쁨의 눈물을 흘린 것으로 전해졌다.

이 날 축하 행사에 참석한 시각장애인 가수 스티비 원더는 "전 세계 시각장애인들에게 마라케시 조약은 (시각장애인들의 독서환경을 보장할) 첫 걸음이 될 것이다. 그 동안 시각장애인들이 느꼈던 독서에 대한 갈증이 끝나가는 것 같다"며 "세계 각국의 정부가 이번 조약을 최우선순위로 두고, 관련법 개정을 하길 바란다"고 말했다.

기사 관련 사진
▲ 세계지적재산권기구 지난 6월 17일부터 28일까지 모로코 마라케쉬에서 개최된 세계지적재산권기구(WIPO) 외교회의에서 마라케시 조약이 체결됐다
ⓒ 유튜브

마라케시 조약, 유의미한 성과지만 숙제 또한 남아있어

조약의 세부 조항을 보면, 출판 인쇄물에 대한 시각장애인들의 접근성이 크게 개선될 것으로 보인다.

▲ 저작권자의 허락 없이, 독서장애인이 접근 가능한 포맷의 저작물을 만들고 이를 복제, 배포, 공중송신할 수 있다 (4조) ▲ 승인된 기관은 저작권자의 허락 없이 독서 장애인이 접근 가능한 포맷의 저작물을 다른 회원국의 승인된 기관이나 수혜자 (독서 장애를 겪고 있는 당사자)에게 배포하거나 접근 가능하게 할 수 있다 (5조) ▲ 수혜자나 승인된 기관은 저작권자의 허락 없이 독서장애인이 접근 가능한 포맷의 저작물을 수입할 수 있다 (6조)
조약의 효력은 조약문에 서명한 후 국내 비준 절차를 거쳐 비준서 또는 가입서를 세계지식재산기구(WIPO) 사무총장에게 기탁한 때로부터 3개월 후에 발생한다. 문화체육관광부는 동 조약과 저작권법상 관련 규정을 추가로 검토한 후 가입 시기 등에 대한 진단 및 국내 절차 점검 등이 이어질 것으로 보인다.

우리나라는 이미 저작권법에서 시각장애인을 위한 저작권 제한과 예외 규정을 비교적 높은 수준으로 보장하고 있으며, 세계적으로 한글 사용 인구가 많지 않아 조약에 가입하더라도 큰 변화는 없을 것으로 보인다.

그럼에도 국내 저작권 전문가들은 마라케시 조약 체결을 저작권 분야의 유의미한 성과로 평가하고 있다. 우선 마라케시 조약은 저작권 제한을 의무화한 최초의 국제 조약이다. 또한 향후에 시각장애인을 위한 저작권 제한을 넘어 다른 영역에서도 공정이용 영역을 만들 수 있는 단초를 마련했다는 점에서 전문가들은 긍정적 평가를 하고 있다.

오병일 정보공유연대 대표는 "시각장애인들이 이용할 수 있는 도서의 양이 전반적으로 늘어날 것이다. 하지만 조약이나 법제 자체가 장애인의 도서접근권을 보장하지는 않는다. 문화체육관광부와 정부는 독서장애인의 도서접근권을 실질적으로 향상시키기 위해 재정적, 제도적 지원을 아끼지 말아야 한다"고 말했다.

한국시각장애인연합회는 "마라케시 조약은 지적재산권의 보호를 받는 도서에만 대상을 국한하고 있다. 앞으로 화면해설이나 폐쇄회로자막이 삽입된 영상물 등 디지털 멀티미디어 저작물들과 같은 저작권 보호 대상에 관해서도 예외규정 마련하도록 고려해야한다"고 밝혔다.

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