Who Own Feldenkrais Ideas? Everyone. (That means YOU!)
I had a brief email conversation recently about the ownership of certain Feldenkrais materials. For example there are transcripts of the awareness through movement sessions that Moshe Feldenkrais taught at Alexanader Yanai in Isreal. Someone wondered about the legality of teaching a version of an Alexander Yanai session. What if you create workshops or products based on Moshe’s Alexander Yanai? Would your lesson be considered “derivative”? Could you sell it? Can the International Feldenkrais Federation sue you?
It is important to recognize that copyright law does not protect a concept or idea, it protects the expression conveyed. The copyright holder of a certain transcript owns the word order and particular expression not the ideas. If you teach an ATM and put it in your own words – as you will invariably do – you then “own” (if you choose to) that particular work that you created.
This is a very important concept to grasp. The Feldenkrais Guild of North America does not own Moshe Feldenkrais’ ideas, neither does the International Feldenkrais Federation. They may own the particular transcript and word order, but that’s about it. They do not own any particular ATM or movement sequence. You can learn and teach any idea based on Moshe Feldenkrais’ work. It does not matter whether you are guild certified or whether you have taken a training or not.
If anyone tells you otherwise, they are confused or lying. Ignore them. Use Feldenkrais transcripts and ideas in any way that you choose. Do not copy the exact form or word order. But teach the ideas. Do it. The world needs this work and it needs your contribution.
One Comment
-
Ryan Nagy
At his "Office" in Mexico
Moshe Feldenkrais
Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Nice clarifications Ryan,
I’d like to add a little something to go with teaching of “ideas”. (perhaps more than a comment),
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his essay Nature:
“Whenever a true theory appears,
it will be its own evidence.
Its test is,
that is will explain all phenomena.”
Here is the thing – what Moshe Feldenkrais brought to the table in my opinion, and I am sure others would agree, is big. It is a part of this “true theory that can explain a lot of phenomena”, because if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be able to be discussed across multiple disciplines and have effect on a such a wide variety of “stuff” – in essence it can explain a lot, maybe not all, but a lot of phenomena.
We are running a risk if we keep it under a blanket of protection, trademarking and copyright, because then this makes it look like a “product”. A product comes and go’s and doesn’t stand the test of time. True theory and Big ideas that make big differences in ALL aspects of human nature stand the test of time, ARE their own evidence, are potent, and certainly don’t need protection.
Are people seriously teaching AY word per word in the same order as on the transcripts? Would Moshe even teach his AY lessons word for word? From the Feldy history I’ve learned over the years, it took him numerous times until he was satisfied enough to record his AY lessons, and then, I am sure he changed them again and again. How would he teach now? His teaching even changed between San Francisco and Amherst trainings, did it not?
So is the copyright of AY and transcripts even the issue? Are they not a part of the history of the work? Is history copyright’able’ and trademark’able”?
Should it be?
Those that truly know this deep in their own nature (the importance spreading important ideas) will do whatever is necessary to teach and really do the work – regardless of being obedient to any “law”.