2. It is patently obvious

India was being tapped by new age gurus to impart to Americans & Europeans the virtues of the ancient traditions of Yoga which has become a US$30 billion-a-year business in America.

It is estimated that close to 20 million Americans practice Yoga,with the majority of fitness clubs offering instruction.Retailers such as Wal-Mart & Rei stock up on Yoga accessories such as DVDs,apparel,mats &other equipments.The aaverage Yoga practitioner’s annual expenditure for enlightenment is estimated at $1,500.

Marketing of spirituality has caught up in the west which is a matter of concern for India.WTO regimeof IPR,Trademarks,Patents and Copyrights threatens to infringe on an area that India considers its own fief.
India’s Science & Technology ministry is pushing for a more thorough patenting of the Country’s traditional knowledge base to prevent future misuse and biopiracy.Yoga is one area that is being examined with considerable zeal.

The govt. is making a digital database of 1,500 yoga postures & their therapeutic properties that can be used to oust the 134 patents on yoga accessories,150 yoga-related copyrights & 2,315 yoga trademarks the U.S. Patent Office has issued so far.
The National Inst.of Science Communication & Information Resources is building the nearly 10 million page digital database for the dept of Ayurveda ,Yoga,Natuoropathy,Unani,Sidha &Homeopathy under the health ministry.