Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property has signed a tripartite cooperation agreement with the association of the Blind (Kafeef) and AlObekan Library to activate the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled, and provide the stipulated works for the benefit of the Treaty beneficiaries free of charge. The agreement was signed in the presence of Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al-Swailem, the CEO of SAIP, Dr. Nasser bin Ali Al-Mousa, Chairman of the Association of the Blind, and Dr. Fahad Al-Obekan , Chairman of the Board of Directors of AlObekan Library. According to the agreement, AlObekan Library is committed to facilitate access to accessible copies of books and publications in accordance with the needs of the Treaty's beneficiaries who are blind, visually impaired and other print disabled users. The association of Blind (Kafeef) is committed to facilitate the access of beneficiaries to these copies in cooperation with the relevant authorities, free of charge. For its part, the Authority is committed to provide the legal framework for the operation of the treaty, and parties of the agreement are obliged to take the necessary measures to ensure that accessible copies are used only by the beneficiaries. It is worth mentioning that the Kingdom is one of the first Arab countries to ratify this treaty with a clear human dimension aimed at the development of society. The treaty is ratified by more than 45 countries around the world to improve awareness of the challenges faced by people with visual disabilities in reading publications, facilitate the integration of their participation in cultural and social life and increase access to culture, knowledge and education. This agreement is also the first phase in a series of phases the Authority is working on according to its competence to activate the Marrakesh Treaty at the Kingdom level.
