Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) has signed a tripartite cooperation agreement with the Kafeef Association of the Blind 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, free of charge.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al-Swailem, CEO of SAIP; Dr. Nasser bin Ali Al-Mousa, chairman of Kafeef Association of the Blind, and Dr. Fahad Al-Obekan , chairman of the board of directors of AlObekan Library.

According to the agreement, AlObekan Library will facilitate access to copies of books and publications in accordance with the needs of the treaty’s beneficiaries. Kafeef will 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 providing 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.

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 their participation in cultural and social life and increase access to culture, knowledge and education.