Can anyone own a yoga asana? It’s India’s traditional knowledge — logically, no one should monopolise it. But legally it isn’t that simple. Here’s how the TKDL, the US Bikram Yoga cases, and a Delhi High Court ruling answer the question.
The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library
The TKDL is an Indian government initiative born of the basmati and turmeric patent disputes in the US. It compiles and digitises knowledge of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Yoga in five international languages — helping patent offices find prior art and safeguarding against misappropriation. After the Bikram Yoga cases, the TKDL, with yoga gurus and experts, documented over 900 asanas to prevent anyone monopolising them.
The Bikram Yoga cases (US)
Bikram Yoga filed several suits over a specific sequence of 26 asanas and two breathing techniques performed in a hot room (“hot yoga”), raising whether yoga poses can be copyrighted. Key outcomes:
- copyright exists over the expression of facts/ideas, not the facts/ideas themselves;
- a mere compilation of exercises without creative addition is a system/procedure, not copyrightable;
- doubt over whether yoga counts as a choreographic work (needs to be an actual dance/sequence like ballet).
In June 2012, the US Copyright Office made clear that yoga poses and sequences are not copyrightable; in December 2012, a US Federal Court overruled copyright on Bikram’s specific sequences, noting the distinction between a creative work compiling exercises (copyrightable) and the compilation of exercises itself (not).
The Delhi HC: Institute of Inner Studies v. Charlotte Anderson
IIS claimed copyright in “Pranic Healing” techniques and a trademark over the term. The court addressed:
a) Copyright. On originality, citing Eastern Book Company v. Modak (a minimal degree of creativity required), it found Pranic Healing neither new nor creative — part of Indian medicine “from time immemorial.” On the idea–expression divide (per R.G. Anand), where the theme is the same but treated differently so a new work emerges, there’s no violation — so no one can monopolise the idea, only the expression. Relying on the Bikram cases, the court held that when copyright is sought over books describing a useful art or mode of performing an ancient exercise, only the language is protected — not the method or sequence. Novel processes and methods belong to the realm of patents, not copyright.
b) Dramatic works. Could asanas be dramatic works (Section 2(h))? The court set conditions — capable of physical performance, fixed in writing, and a predetermined plan — and held that where any is in doubt (as with yoga/pranic techniques), they don’t prima facie qualify as dramatic works.
c) Trademark. “Pranic healing” is a generic term lacking distinctiveness (Section 9), so the registration claims were inconsequential — and the registration had been secured via false proprietorship claims. No infringement, as there was no monopoly over the term.
The bigger picture
The judgment usefully clarifies the idea–expression divide and protects India’s traditional treasury — confirming asanas and pranic-healing techniques aren’t protectable as dramatic works. But the larger need is protecting yoga and pranic healing as traditional knowledge, balancing preservation against attempts at IP monopoly — with the TKDL’s progress worth watching.
The takeaways
- You can’t copyright a yoga asana or sequence — only the language describing it.
- Idea vs expression — the idea is free; copyright protects only a particular expression.
- Not dramatic works — asanas fail the physical-performance/fixation/predetermined-plan test.
- Generic terms won’t trademark — “Pranic healing” lacked distinctiveness.
Frequently asked questions
Can yoga poses be copyrighted in India? No — copyright protects only the language describing an asana, not the pose, method or sequence itself, as the Delhi HC and US rulings confirm.
Are yoga sequences protectable as dramatic works? No — they fail the conditions for a dramatic work (physical performance, fixation in writing, a predetermined plan), so they don’t prima facie qualify.
Can I trademark a generic wellness term like “pranic healing”? Unlikely — generic terms lacking distinctiveness aren’t registrable under Section 9, as the court found for “pranic healing.”
What is the TKDL? The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library — an Indian initiative documenting Ayurveda, Yoga and other traditional knowledge (900+ asanas) to serve as prior art and prevent misappropriation.
Useful official resources
- The Copyright Act, 1957
- Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)