With NRI Vikram Chaudhury securing yoga-related copyrights from the US Patent Authority, another battle for patents is in the making.
Creating an uproar in Parliament, legislators unanimously slammed the US Administration for grabbing the 5000 year old Indian discipline.
The US Patent and Trademark Office has issued 150 copyrights,
134 patents on yoga accessories and 2,315 yoga trademarks so
far.
Meanwhile, Chaudhary has incurred the wrath of renowned yoga
practitioner Swami Ramdev for securing the patent for yoga.
Being the traditional knowledge of India, no individual has
the right to patent yoga, argues the Swami. If yoga is to be
patented, the rights lie with the Government of India, or, as
he adds, tongue-in-cheek, with the Patanjali Yoga Ashram, a trust
which has contributed immensely to the awareness of yoga in India
and abroad.
Swami Ramdev also lamented the commercialisation
of this ancient science by fake gurus.
To prevent further damage, the government of India has set up
a task force of 100 historians and scientists to create a database
of 1,500 yoga techniques.
Ancient Sanskrit and Tamil texts, Ayurvedc
remedies and hundreds of yogic poses are being translated and
digitalized. Ayurvedic medicines are also being catalogued.
In the past, India has successfully confronted a U.S. patent
granted to two NRIs from the US who used turmeric in a wound-healing
medication. The patent was later withdrawn by the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office.
