Will US trademark ruling impact Osho’s work?

A recent ruling by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) cancelling trademarks with the name “Osho” could have a major impact on a global business empire revolving around Osho’s books, audio/video recordings and meditation techniques.

On January 13, the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board cancelled a series of trademark applications and registrations with the word “OSHO” registered by Osho International Foundation. For nearly a decade now, OIF which has its publishing headquarters at New York has served legal notices on those reproducing Osho’s works or using his name on their meditation centres without their permission.

A stern note on its website states that OIF “is the sole and registered owner of all of the copyrights to all the published and unpublished words and works of Osho,” and that “trademarks owned by OIF include ‘OSHO’, Osho signature design etc.

Many of the trademarks listed by OIF have now been cancelled by the USPTO and include:  Osho, Osho active meditations, Osho zen tarot, Osho transformation tarot, Osho Kundalini meditation, Osho Nadbramha meditation, Osho meditation resort, Osho Multiversity, Osho Times and Osho Rebalancing. OIF on its website states that Osho International New York is the international publishing headquarters for Osho’s work, managed on behalf of the Osho International Foundation, Zurich (Switzerland).
The website directs book publishers, distributors, retailers and others interested in reproducing Osho’s works to get in touch with the New York offices for licences and permissions.

While cancelling the trademarks, the USPTO judges observed that Osho (previously known as Rajneesh) never  used OSHO as a trademark in his lifetime; that he wanted his followers to spread his teachings and that Osho gave permission to his followers to open centres utilising his name to spread his teachings. A few years after Osho’s death in 1990, some followers gained control over properties of the commune in Pune’s Koregaon Park besides other assests.

Their “aggressive and dominating” style of functioning led to a conflict within Osho’s core group of followers and some prominent members including Ma Yoga Neelam and spokesperson Swami Chaitanya Keerti were among those who were evicted from the Pune commune. Keerti and others who established Osho Friends International (OFI) at New Delhi have always opposed the OIF for commercialising Osho.

They assert that Osho wanted his works to be freely available all  over  the world. Their petition in the USPTO against the Osho trademarks and registrations was filed in 2000, part of this battle against copyrights or trademarks on Osho’s works. The Delhi group is now determined to carry on its fight against trademarks and copyrights.

Reacting to a statement from the Osho International Meditation Resort that “Osho is now a protected trademark in more than 40 other countries around the world,” Keerti said, “We will find out what has been done in these 40 countries and tell Osho’s followers to fight against the trademarks and copyrights.”

Amrit Sadhana of the Osho meditation resort’s management team regretted the USPTO ruling saying that it had put Osho “in the same category as computers and tissues”. She said that the ruling “has no effect on Osho’s copyright which is protected by international treaties around the world.”