Not all goes well when East meets West. The U.S. patent office has been granting patents (yes, patents) on yoga postures and practices, and India’s government isn’t happy about it.
Searches of the database of the United States Patent and Trademark Office show dozens of yoga-related patents have been granted, including one for a breathing exercise, and more than 1,300 such trademarks have been registered.
First of all, I find it almost impossible to imagine that American practitioners are busting moves or other yogic practices that have never been conceived in 5,000 years of Indian tradition. Second of all, is nothing sacred? Third of all, the absurdity of patent overload has been going on for years, but just keeps getting sillier. Except it isn’t silly. It’s bad.
via Weblogsky
The other day I discovered that Hormel has trademarked “Goes on everything.”
I’m expecting a vicious fight between the chili and hot sauce lobbies any day now.
With the current state of the patent system I think I’ll patent the middle finger gesture so that I can collect significant sums of money on road rage incidents and the parents of misfit teenagers.
AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH. i am SO infuriated with the gubmint IP protection system in this country.
everywhere i look, all i see are idiots (first lossy audio, now patented asanas….).
are things better in canadia?
Is lossy audio a gubmint plot? I had no idea! But it makes so much sense when you think about it… :)