Marrakesh Treaty – Implementation Guide South Africa

marrakeshpicIn recognition of World IP Day 2015, the UCT IP Unit has published its Briefing Paper Marrakesh Treaty – Implementation Guide South Africa. The guideline document aims to enable the South African lawmaker to swiftly move forward with the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, in line with the country’s public expression of support for the treaty. The document examines the compatibility of the provisions of the treaty with the current copyright regime in South Africa and, where necessary, it provides suggestions for legislative amendments. The copyright law revision process currently underway in South Africa, together with the country’s goal of introducing a national IP Policy, provide a unique opportunity for making these changes in a timely manner.