Patenting Traditional Wisdom

Here’s an excerpt from a mind-boggling New York Times article:

I GREW up watching my father stand on his head every morning. He was doing sirsasana, a yoga pose that accounts for his youthful looks well into his 60s. Now he might have to pay a royalty to an American patent holder if he teaches the secrets of his good health to others.

The United States government has issued 150 yoga-related copyrights, 134 patents on yoga accessories and 2,315 yoga trademarks. There’s big money in those pretzel twists and contortions – $3 billion a year in America alone.

Click the link for the full article. The Big Stretch – New York Times

Thanks again for the link Paul!