SERV60 — Online services

As many people are unable to use regular printed text due to a wide range of visual impairments, it is usually reproduced as an audio-version and hosted on an online repository to which the visually impaired is given access. This description specifies the conditions for granting such access, the transparency requirements and the measures to prevent the illegal development of copyright-protected content on the Internet.

Draft Order of the Minister for Culture of the Republic of Lithuania amending Order ĮV-358 of the Minister for Culture of 25 March 2021 approving the Procedure for Exchange of accessible format copies of certain works or other subject-matter for the benefit of persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1563 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The draft aims to further regulate the procedure for exchange of accessible format copies of works or other subject-matter for the benefit of persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. This procedure set outs in detail the rights and obligations of bodies carrying out such exchanges and of the

beneficiaries (i.e. visually impaired persons), and establishes a mechanism to reduce social exclusion and to enable visually impaired persons to have easier access to literary works.
The draft establishes the form of the declaration of good faith and its presentation, enabling visually impaired persons to have access to copies of adapted books without the need to provide medical extracts confirming their disability, which had previously caused unjustified obstacles (paragraph 5.3 of the Procedure approved by the draft, Annex to the Procedure). The draft also sets out the actions of authorised entities providing services to visually impaired persons in order to ensure transparency of activities (paragraph 14.3 of the Procedure approved by the draft) and protection of copyright (paragraph 14.2 of the Procedure approved by the draft).