Introduction
The law used to say that you could not produce large print, audio or braille unless the author or publisher allowed you to do so. Working with a number of other organisations, and with the help of the late Rachel Squire MP, we successfully campaigned to remove this barrier and create a fairer regime for people wishing to create accessible formats.
We continue to work in this area, with a particular emphasis on
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barriers raised by new forms of rights management and
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difficulties in getting material from other countries.
What you are now free to do - exceptions and limitations to copyright
The Copyright (Visually Impaired Persons) Act 2002, which has been in force since October 2003, sets out the circumstances in which accessible copies of published material may be produced without reference to the rights holder, that is to say the author or publisher. Generally speaking, permission is no longer required, but there are checks and balances to observe.
Technical blocks
Barriers to access thrown up by technical blocks and new forms of rights management are of growing concern to us. People using screen readers, or even those who just need audio instead of print, are being prevented from reading material which they have bought or are otherwise entitled to read. These concerns are set out in our submission to the UK Parliament's All-Party Internet Group, December 2005.
Review of UK Intellectual Property Law - The Gower's Review
At the end of 2005 the Government commissioned a wide-ranging review of UK intellectual property law under the chairmanship of Andrew Gowers. Issues raised include:
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the case for a new "Right of Access"
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further desirable improvement to UK and European copyright legislation
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the problems of international transfer of material created under national copyright exceptions
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the case for extending exceptions to certain other categories of people with disabilities
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the need to extend exceptions to films and other audio visual material
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databases
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the barriers created by protection measures.
Beyond our shores
Copyright problems are not confined to the UK. Although a number of countries now have exceptions or limitations to copyright for the benefit of blind, partially sighted or other people with a reading-related disability, others do not. Moreover, exceptions do not generally authorise "export" or "import".
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has responded very positively in recent years to our concerns in a number of ways:
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it has instituted a study to look at the question of the transfer between jurisdictions of material rendered accessible under national copyright exceptions
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it has updated its draft law used to advise countries seeking advice on copyright legislation, so that exceptions for blind and partially sighted people, including import rights, are now recommended
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it has published a survey on the effect of automated rights management on blind and partially sighted readers.
Related information