28 June 2013
WASHINGTON — Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the United States Patent
and Trademark Office (USPTO) Teresa Stanek Rea today applauded the adoption by more than 150 countries of a landmark
international treaty to facilitate access to published works by visually impaired persons and persons with print disabilities. The
Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled
was adopted yesterday at a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Diplomatic Conference in Marrakesh, Morocco where
the U.S. Government delegation was led by USPTO officials.
“Improving access to copyrighted works for the benefit of the blind and other people with print disabilities has been an issue of
the highest priority for the United States and we applaud the collaborative efforts of WIPO and our international colleagues in
achieving this historic agreement,” said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the
USPTO Teresa Stanek Rea. “U.S. law already contains a balanced provision enabling such access and we look forward to
collaborating with other countries to promote a similarly effective international system.”
The USPTO team was led by Acting Director Rea, along with lead negotiators Shira Perlmutter, USPTO Chief Policy Officer and
Director for International Affairs, and Justin Hughes, Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Intellectual Property. Other members
of the U.S. delegation include representatives from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the U.S.
Trade Representative, the U.S. Copyright Office, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
To view a statement from the full United States delegation on the treaty adoption, visit:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/06/211308.htm.
To view the U.S. closing statement at the WIPO Diplomatic Conference, visit:
http://geneva.usmission.gov/2013/06/27/wipo-marrakesh/.
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