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IFRRO signs agreement on greater access to books for the visually impaired

Submitted by jboyd on Fri, 17/09/2010 - 16:04

The EC VIP stakeholder dialogue has concluded the first part of its work with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 14 September 2010, in the presence of DG Internal Market and Service Commissioner Michel Barnier.

IFRRO, as well as IFRRO members EWC, FEP and STM, are signatories to the MoU which foresees the establishment of a system of Trusted Intermediaries (TIs) throughout Europe to facilitate access to copyright works by people with reading impairment.  This MOU means that the EU has tmade an important move towards taking the lead in enabling enhance access to work by people with reading impairment.  IFRRO also welcomes it as an example of what can be done by a constructive stakeholder collaboration.

The signatories representing people with print disabilities were the European Blind Union and the European Dyslexia Association. The RROs in the EU Member States, EEA (European Economic Area) countries and Switzerland are also foreseen to play an active role in assisting creators and publishers to facilitate access to copyright works by people with reading impairment.

Signing on behalf of IFRRO, the IFRRO president Magdalena Vinent said “People with reading disabilities need proper access to copyright works. IFRRO is working to help authors and publishers provide such access, by developing specific tools for those with reading impairment. We already have information about IFRRO in the DAISY format on our website www.ifrro.org

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Notes for Editors

The International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation representing the interests of collective management organisations in the field of text and image based works. These organisations are known as Reproduction Rights Organisations (RROs).
 
Active in every continent, more than 70 RROs plus about 50 national and international author, publisher and visual creator associations are IFRRO Members and Associate Members. IFRRO’s global network of members contributes to the facilitating of the widest possible legal access to published, copyright protected literary, visual and musical works for the public. RROs administer reproduction and other relevant rights, including certain forms of digital uses, in copyright text- and image-based works on behalf of both publishers and authors including visual artists. These rights are normally referred to as reprographic rights.
 
RROs also play a key role in the development of cultural diversity by helping to set up the legal and administrative frameworks necessary for the growth of local publishing industries. IFRRO partners organisations such as WIPO and UNESCO to undertake copyright awareness, capacity building and training activities.
 
Further information
James Boyd, IFRRO Communications and Product Development
Email: james.boyd@ifrro.org
Tel: +32 2 551 08 97
www.ifrro.org