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Bikram Choudhury, the founder of the worldwide Yoga College of India, founded Bikram Yoga. Bikram Choudhury was born in Kolkata in the year 1946. Bikram began practicing Yoga at the age of four with Bishnu Ghosh, one of India's noteworthy physical culturist and Yoga Guru. Under the tutelage of his guru, Bikram started several Yoga schools in India. These Yoga schools became so popular that Bikram toured many countries, including Japan and opened Bikram Yoga Colleges, all around the world.
Bikram has been guiding students and others about the power and virtues of Yoga. Thousands of people have benefited through Bikram Yoga poses and yoga training. People throng to learn yoga and yoga tips from him.
Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class consists of a succession of 26 yoga postures (or asanas) and two breathing exercises. Bikram yoga is done in a room heated up to 105°F (40.5°C), accompanied by specific dialogue. People of all levels, ages and body type exercise together with a teacher acting as a guide.
Choudhury claims that his method is the only true Hatha yoga practiced in the West. This claim is refuted by many other schools. Bikram Choudhury has aggressively enforced claims of copyright and trademark protection, including the claim that the sequence of asanas in Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class falls under his copyright.
Choudhury first registered the copyright for Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class in 1979 and subsequently filed additional copyrights for various books, audiotapes and videotapes. This development is controversial within the United States yoga community. Some practitioners object to the idea that Bikram can have exclusive control over a series of yoga postures derived from traditional practices.
Bikram Choudhury filed for copyright for the yoga sequence under 17 U.S.C. Section 410 in 2002. Bikram Choudhury recognizes that the asanas are in the public domain, but claims that his yoga sequence constitutes a copyrightable compilation of information and that all the accompanying intellectual property rights flow from his registration. Choudhury has also registered various trademarks connected with Bikram Yoga.
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