The possibility of member states being able to limit the copyright exemptions included in the Marrakesh Treaty, for the visually impaired, will be at the centre of inter-institutional meeting at the end of the afternoon on Wednesday 10 May. One source close to the dossier informed us that it is “reasonable” to expect that an agreement can be found.
It should be recalled to that Marrakesh Treaty seeks to facilitate the access of blind people and the visually impaired to a wider choice of books published in adapted forms, such as braille, large lettering or in audio digital recordings. It was adopted on 23 June 2013 under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) but has still not been ratified by the EU.
Now that the Court of Justice has delivered its verdict (see EUROPE 11725), the European Commission can ratify this text on behalf of the Union, while the Council and Parliament discuss its implementation. This final section is the subject of two legislative proposals: a directive focusing on the introduction of a copyright exemption on books for the visually impaired and a regulation on the exchange of these copies with third countries.
Representatives from the three European institutions have only met up once since the Council and Parliament each adopted their respective negotiating positions (on 22 and 23 March respectively) (see EUROPE 11752).
On 10 May, they are expected to get to grips with the main issue, namely, exceptions to copyright exemptions (Clause 11 of the directive). The Presidency would like the member states to be able to pay compensation to publishers or limit copyright exceptions for books that cannot be commercially obtained in reasonable conditions. Parliament, backed by the Commission, considers that the exceptions for the visually impaired should not be limited. The other subject on the table involve transposition deadlines. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)