India to take steps against misappropriation of yoga in US

New Delhi, June 13 (UNI) The government today said department of AYUSH in the health ministry had asked the Indian Ambassador in Washington to take all necessary steps ''to address the issue of misappropriation of Indian Yoga System through United States Patent and Trademark Office USPTO.'' The move came days after the United States mission in India clarified that no patent on Indian Yoga system has been issued by the USPTO.

Commenting on media reports raising concerns on the grant of patent on Yoga postures by the US patent agency, an official statement said when upchecked with the US emabassy here, the First Secretary for Intellectual Property informed that the USPTO was not able to identify a single patent directed on Yoga poses.

The Indian government said the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CMPDTM) also informed that preliminary search of the USPTO database indicates that there is no patent on yoga postures per se. Patents granted by the USPTO mostly include devices and accessories in Yoga. It is estimated that 131 patents have been granted in the USPTO on yoga subject and there are 3700 trademarks which have been listed in the database of registered and pending trade marks by the office.

The US mission in New Delhi, too, had taken up a similar position, saying patents had been granted for devices and accessories used in the Yoga system and not for Yoga's postures.

UNI