Bikram’s Yoga College of India, L.P. and Bikram Choudhury v. Evolation Yoga, LLC and others - (08 Oct 2015)

US Court of Appeal holds sequence of yoga poses not copyrightable

Intellectual Property Rights

A Court of Appeal in the United States of America ruled that the sequence used in ‘hot yoga’ classes was a process intended to improve people's health, and wasn’t covered under copyright. Hot yoga is performed in a room heated to about 105 degrees (that’s Fahrenheit, or as most Indians know it, summertime) and includes 26 postures and two breathing exercises performed for 90 minutes. Dismissing the appeal for many reasons, the Court held the “particularly beautiful and graceful” postures could not be classified as choreographic work and were excluded under Section 102(b) of the Copyright Act, 1976.