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Yoga
organisation sues USA had
warned Pak on nuke proliferation 13 Palestinians killed in gunbattles
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US role
sought in Indo-Pak dialogue Israel
may give satellite photos of Kashmir Dubai
visa law simplified Indian treasures to be
auctioned
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Yoga organisation sues flamboyant guru
Washington: Bikram Choudhury, the flamboyant Beverly Hills-based yoga guru to the rich and famous, has been sued by a San Francisco nonprofit organisation of yoga enthusiasts challenging his claim of copyrighted poses. Born in Calcutta, Mr. Choudhury opened one of his first yoga schools in San Francisco in 1973. There are now close to 900 Bikram Yoga studios around the world. He copyrighted, trademarked and franchised his poses, breathing techniques and dialogue, creating the first yoga chain. “We’re not disputing that Mr. Choudhury did something creative and useful in putting the postures together in a certain order,” said Elizabeth Rader, a copyright attorney representing the nonprofit Open Source Yoga Unity. She says Mr. Choudhury took the 26 postures from 84 classical ones that have been taught in India for centuries. “Our belief is that you can’t treat the poses as private property. ” Mr Choudhury’s lawyers responded with a letter saying the plaintiff was infringing on his trademarks by “mixing Bikram yoga with other yoga styles to create your own blend, by teaching others to become Bikram yoga teachers, by using teachers who have not been certified by Bikram, by teaching classes without the complete dialogue.” The suit is asking the judge to determine whether Mr. Choudhury is entitled to copyright and trademark his material under federal copyright laws. A trial date has been set for next February. Mr Choudhury’s lawyers have sent out over 100 “cease and desist” letters to Bikram yoga studios and teachers, accusing them of violating his copyright and trademark by employing instructors that weren’t trained by the guru. Mr. Choudhury’s training programme costs $5,000 per person. His letters threaten a penalty of $150,000 per infringement. Last July, Mr. Choudhury won a copyright infringement suit against the owners of a southern California yoga studio. Under the settlement, the operators agreed to pay him an undisclosed sum and never again teach Bikram-style yoga. Yoga has become big business in the U.S. attracting an estimated 18 million practitioners and accounting for $27 billion in annual sales, according to Yoga Journal. In the earlier lawsuit, Mr. Choudhury and his wife, Rajashree Choudhury, asserted claims for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, violation of rights of publicity, and other related causes of action, and sought to permanently enjoin the defendants from such conduct. Under a settlement reached in that case the defendants agreed to the payment of compensation to the Choudhurys and to never again use or otherwise infringe upon Mr Choudhury’s copyrighted works.  |
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USA had warned Pak on nuke proliferation Washington, February 11 “We have talked at different moments about issues that might have arisen that we might have learned about. So it is not a single moment of information”, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday. In an interview on Monday, Musharraf shared blame for the delay with Washington, saying it was not until October that American officials provided him with evidence of the activities of the scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan.
— PTI |
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13 Palestinians killed in gunbattles Jerusalem, February 11 Twelve Palestinians were killed and more than 40 wounded in
the Shajaiyeh neighbourhood of Gaza City in a fierce gunfight that started before dawn and continued throughout the day. Among the dead was 18-year-old Mohammed Hilles, the son of
Ahmed Hilles, the top leader of Yasser The firefight ensued
following massive parallel pre-dawn incursions near Natzarim and Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Gaza strip,
and further south near Rafah. An Israeli military spokesman said the army had identified “at least 17 hits”, adding that all those targeted were armed with explosive devices or anti-tank missiles. In a separate incident in the Rafah area, along the Gaza-Egypt border, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian and injured nine others as they continued their operation to find tunnels booby-trapped with explosives. The army said the tunnels in the area had been used for smuggling weapons. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, security forces apprehended 19
Palestinian terror suspects and fugitives in raids in various towns. — PTI |
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US role sought in Indo-Pak dialogue New York, February 11 For the talks to be successful, they said at a seminar on Kashmir, it was necessary for the USA to remain engaged in the process but were divided whether the UN should have any role. The seminar was organised by the pro-independence Kashmir American Council and the Association of Humanitarian Lawyers. Former adviser to the UN Secretary-General M. Yusuf Buch, who was born in Srinagar and now is US citizen, said the most important aspect was to select representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir who would negotiate with India and Pakistan. Director of South Asia Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and a former diplomat Teretsita Schaffer stressed on the need for exploring various options such as that of autonomy for the state. The concept of special status with internal sovereignty could be considered, she said.
— PTI |
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Israel may give satellite photos of Kashmir Tel Aviv, February 11 Israeli officials have said sharp cuts in the Defence Ministry and the close strategic relations with New Delhi had led to a review of its policy of limiting the access of its photoreconnaissance satellite to itself, the Middle East Newsline said in a report. Performance data about Ofeq-5 is said to be classified, but its pictures reportedly have a resolution of 50 cm.
— PTI |
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Dubai visa law simplified Dubai, February 11 The move, described as an attempt to simplify the visa procedure for foreigners and guarantee the safety of the people, comes in the wake of the Kish Air crash in Sharjah yesterday. At least 12 Indians were among the 43 people killed in the Iranian plane crash. They were returning from Kish Island after renewing or changing their visas to take up jobs in the United Arab Emirates. Kish is the favourite destination of visa change seekers from India who exit from the UAE and re-enter the country to get fresh visas.
— UNI |
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Indian treasures to be auctioned London, February 11 The collection, which includes a rare 17th century jewelled jade flask expected to fetch around £ 1 million, is being sold by Clive’s descendants. Most of the items have been on display in British museums until recently. Clive of India, as he became known, accumulated the collection after a series of campaigns culminating in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, which brought most of India under British control.
— AP |
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Chinese honour for Ratan Tata The title was conferred upon Tata when he called on the mayor of Hangzhou city, Mao Linsheng. Tata and Mao discussed issues of common interest and ways to further promote business relations between the Tata group and Hangzhou city as well as between India and China.
— PTI |
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Beijing, February 11