From Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty to Promoting Copyright in China and Beyond

May 9, 2022

On May 5 of the Marrakesh Treaty entering into force, Ms. Liu Hua, Director of WIPO Office in China (WOC), attended and addressed the “Seminar on Implementation and Prospects of the Marrakesh Treaty in China" held in Renmin University of China (RUC) in Beijing.

Liu Hua congratulated China on becoming a member of the Marrakesh family. She said that the Marrakesh Treaty is committed to addressing the global "book famine" faced by persons who are blind, visually impaired or print disabled, helping them to access knowledge and education and to realize their potential for innovation and creativity. At the same time, the Treaty contributes to a more inclusive social and cultural life, as well as to poverty reduction and sustainable development. Thus, the Marrakesh Treaty has a dual identity and significance in human rights and property rights, reflecting a clear humanitarian and social development dimension.

Liu Hua pointed out that China's ratification to the Marrakesh Treaty benefits over 17 million visually impaired persons domestically, and persons with print disabilities in other parts of the world will have more chances to access the world's oldest, richest and continuous literary and cultural traditions. This milestone event marks significant progress in global intellectual property (IP) ecosystem, demonstrating China's humanitarianism in relation to the printing disabled community as well as showing China's commitment to open-up, multilateralism and sustained support to WIPO.

Liu Hua expressed that WIPO is confident in the smooth implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty in China and will provide support to China in terms of legal policies, media publicity and platform resources. Liu Hua highlighted the services provided by the WIPO Accessible Books Consortium and hoped that more Chinese institutions and organizations would join it.

Liu Hua introduced to the attendees five sets of golden keys provided by WIPO to the door of the knowledge assets, including the policy forum, application systems, databases, cooperation platforms and capacity-building. The five keys will assist innovators and creators in harnessing IP to realize their ambitions. She encouraged young students to make good use of the services and resources of WIPO and to communicate and compete with peers from other countries at higher level.

The Marrakesh Treaty is the first copyright treaty to include a clear human rights perspective, having 88 contracting parties and covering up to 114 countries. This seminar is jointly hosted by the Human Rights Center, Accessibility Law Center and Intellectual Property Academy of RUC as well as the UNESCO Chair on Copyright and Neighboring Rights. Heads of China Disabled Persons Federation, China Association of the Blind and China Braille Library as well as scholars and students from Harvard University, RUC and East China University of Political Science and Law discussed on the significance of the entry-into-force of the Marrakesh Treaty and its implementation.