Yoga Poses Not Protected by Copyright, Appeals Court Rules

Yoga instructors can continue to teach a sequence of poses and breathing exercises described by famous “yogi” Bikram Choudhury, thanks to a California court’s ruling this week. Choudhury, who alleged he developed the 26-pose sequence as described in his 1979 book, sued Evolation Yoga for copyright infringement. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the sequence was a “healing art” and therefore not eligible for copyright protection.