About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

10 Intell. Prop. L. Bull. 31 (2005-2006)
The OSYU v. Bikram Choudhury Copyright Case: Analytical Approaches to Fleshing out a Paper Tiger

handle is hein.journals/iprop10 and id is 37 raw text is: The OSYU v. Bikram Choudhury Copyright Case: Analytical Approaches to Fleshing Out a Paper Tiger By MICHAEL J. THOMAS* I. Introduction ............................................ 32 A . The Parties ......................................... 33 B. History of the Case ................................. 34 C. Implications of the Case ............................ 35 II. Declaratory Judgments and the Posture of OSYU's Case ....................................... 36 A. OSYU's Use of the Declaratory Judgment A ct ................................................. 36 B. Understanding the Posture of OSYU's Case ........ 37 III. A Functionality Analysis of the Sequence .............. 39 A. The Sequence as a Noncopyrightable, Functional C om pilation ........................................ 40 B. The Sequence as Noncopyrightable Subject Matter U nder § 102(b) ..................................... 43 IV. An Alternative Invalidity Analysis of the Bikram C opyrights .............................................. 46 A. Using an Adaptation of the Altai Test to Analyze the Bikram Copyrights .............................. 46 B. An Invalidity Analysis of the Sequence ............. 48 1. Copyright Registrations of Bikram Relating to the Sequence ................................... 48 2. Application of Altai's Abstraction Prong to the Sequence ....................................... 49 a. Isolating Abstractions From a Work's Elements ................ 49 b. Modules and Abstractions in the Sequence ................................... 50 3. Filtration Analysis of the Sequence ............. 52 * The author is a member of the State Bar of California, J.D., LL.M (Intellectual Property), Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California, who has practiced Bikram yoga daily for two years. He worked for the plaintiffs in OSYU on discovery matters and wrote a summary judgment motion and reply on publication of the Sequence under the 1909 Copyright Act. The author thanks Marc Greenberg, Golden Gate University Professor and head of the LL.M. IP program, for his guidance and encouragement in the writing of this Article, OSYU attorneys James P. Harrison and Elizabeth Rader for the opportunity to learn and work in such an intimate role on the case, and certified Bikram yoga instructor Renee Zensen for her interview and insight.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most