Frequently Asked Questions

The Copyright Act protects “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.” 17 U.S.C.  §102(a).  The Berne Convention, the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT), The Marrakesh Treaty and the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS Agreement) are treaties that regulates the copyright law internationally.

Copyright is a form of protection to authors of literary and artistic work, also referred to as “original works of authorship”, fixed in a tangible medium of expression. It provides legal protection to published and unpublished books, poetry, plays, movies, music scores, song recordings, computer software, photographs, paintings, and drawings.

Copyright is a branch of intellectual property. The owner of copyright in a protected work may use the work as he or she wishes, and may prevent others from using it without her/his authorization. The Copyright also regulates the economical and moral rights derived from the production of an original work. The economic rights allow the owner of rights to derive financial reward from the use of his/her works by others. Economic rights include the right of reproduction, rights of public performance, broadcasting, communication to the public and making available and the rights of translation and adaptation. Moral rights include the right of attribution, the right of paternity and the right of integrity. It means the right of being recognized as the author of an original work or a particular form of human expression.

PDF files found on some internet websites are mostly copyright infringements. Thus, you should not pass it on to anybody, nor use for reproducing and distributing printed copies. Any reproduction of a KRI publication without formal and written agreement constitutes a copyright violation. If you encounter illegal digital copies of KRI publications shared online, please kindly let us know at [email protected].

No, that’s not possible. If you need or want to use kriyas, meditations and lectures of Yogi Bhajan on a publication or even on a media platform with commercial purpose, you need first to get a written and formal agreement, also known as a licensing agreement, signed with KRI. For that, please write to HariShabad Kaur at [email protected]

If you’ll be using the material in English or in a translated version on a publishing platform without commercial purposes, you will also need a Licensing Agreement signed with KRI. Please, get in touch with the Translations and Publishing Administrator to formalize what you need – [email protected].

A copyright licensing agreement defines in details as to how, where, and when the copyrighted work may be used. A copyright owner of any work can grant a license to authorize a third party to use and distribute a copyrighted work. This license may be either exclusive or non-exclusive.

Yes. Kundalini Research Institute (KRI) is the organization that manages Yogi Bhajan copyrighted works.