Malawi: Embrace The Spirit Of The Marrakesh Treaty – No Commercial Availability Test

Abstract

The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, adopted in 2013, aims to end the global ‘book famine’. Malawi ratified the Treaty in July 2017, with entry into force in October 2017. While this marks a positive step, IFLA, EIFL, and AfLIA express concern over the inclusion of a commercial availability test in Malawi’s copyright law. This requirement undermines the spirit of the Treaty by making it difficult for libraries to produce accessible format copies for people with print disabilities.