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.
Build Your Practice (But Only if You Are Pure)
I was just in the process of writing a brief blog post on the decline of professional organizations such as Feldenkrais Guild of North America, based loosely on some ideas I encountered in Death of the Guilds
She’s promoting her distance mentoring program, “Less Elusive, More Obvious™” What?! This is not only an unimaginative title…but also something she felt the need to trademark? (Laughter) I’ve often wondered about the wisdom of spending time and money trademarking derivative ideas that have no marketing gravity and that no one wants to steal. But that’s another story.
Here’s the webpage with Allison’s offer:
http://allisonrapp.com/less-elusive-more-obvious/
Though I wasn’t particularly intrigued, I did consider giving her my email in exchange for the free videos that she is promoting. Why not? I like to encounter potentially new ideas and I appreciate when someone uses the internet to spread them. I was willing to GIVE HER the opportunity to SHOW ME that she has something to teach.
But then I noticed that she wanted additional information from me. Her form asks for the name of the educational director of my Feldenkrais program and my year of graduation. In other words, I have to prove to her that I was in an FGNA training so that she can sell me something. I’m sorry, but no. That’s not how it’s done.
If someone wants an opportunity to earn my trust, sell me something, or explain a point of view, I can be willing to give my email or other personal information. But I am certainly not going to jump through hoops to do so. When you are selling something it is up to YOU to earn the trust and the right to begin a conversation.
As she notes on her webpage, she’s “been a trainer for nearly twenty years” (who cares) and of course, she flashes the obligatory badge of knowing Moshe personally (yawn). Not much of a value proposition in my view.
It seems to me that if she truly wanted to spread her work and to build a strong practice of teaching others to practice, she would start with a wider net. Why limit the audience? She’s using the same type of exclusionary logic that has kept the work out of the hands of so many for so long. She’d love to teach you more about how to grow a practice but only if you can prove that you are not an Anat Baniel, Mind Body Studies, Bones For Life or some other undesirable practitioner.
So, let me just turn the tables here and ask Allison Rapp:
“Do YOU want more clients?
Are YOU tired of being the best kept secret in town?”
Yes? Good. It might be time to re-think your marketing strategy if not your entire world view.
Free Feldenkrais Lessons: Free For Any Purpose, Person or Organization
Free Feldenkrais!
While having some email conversations with Falk Feddersen, the man behind the wonderful Open ATM website, it occurred to me that I had never fully explained the meaning of the free feldenkrais movement, what it means to me personally, and to the work in general. Though I have begun giving away some of my work for free: The Feldenkrais Forty, my concept of free has very little to do with money.
What does “Free Feldenkrais” mean?
To modify a phrase from the GNU software movement:
Free Feldenkrais is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.”
The freedom where one can move in any direction without hesitation or preparation has its analogue in emotional freedom, intellectual freedom, freedom to express one’s self and ideas and the freedom to get Moshe’s work, and yes – your work – into the hands of anyone who is willing to try it. Free Feldenkrais is about the user not the developer. It is about preserving the rights of the user to have access to the work in any way that he or she thinks will benefit.
Respecting the Rights of the Public
Freedom is about the freedom to use the ideas for any purpose, to study how the ideas or a particular session work (if one chooses). It is the freedom to experiment and to develop. In short it is about using Moshe’s work to engender the organic develomental process of anyone with the curiosity to do so. Just as importantly it is about creating access to the ideas outside of any particular legal, cultural or training ideology.
Access to Source Code
Just as with free and open source software, access to the “source code” is a precondition for these freedoms. This is why I recommend not only distributing audio and video versions of the work, but also transcripts in the form of pdfs, word documents and rich text files (.rtf). Creating multiple versions ensures compatibility and the ability of an end user to modify and re-use.
These freedoms include the right to redistribute copies so that a person can help his or her friends, neighbors or another practitioner and colleague. Also included is the freedom to distribute copies of one’s modified versions to others. And the freedom to repackage and sell any versions – modified or not.
The freedoms above mean that “you don’t need a permission slip.” You do not need to ask the permission of any organization, trainer, developer or legal system. No one has the right to control the dissemination of these ideas. In fact, no one (let’s be honest) really has a clue as to the best way for this work to develop, grown and touch the masses. By giving away as much material as possible, it becomes more likely that someone will be able to do so.
Free Increases Value For Everyone
Feldenkrais ideas become more valuable the more that they are used. The more people know of them, the more they want them. The more they experience them, they more they will want to experience them.
Giving away materials does not degrade your ability to make a living and make a difference. It enhances your ability to do so, and it enhances by multiples. People who download and try free sessions will end up in your classes and on your table. They will end up wanting to know you. They will end up in training programs (for better or worse). There are people who desperately need this work and do not know that they do. There are people who desperately need this work and cannot afford it. Does anyone have the right to limit the choices of those people by locking up Moshe’s work behind copyright, trademark and exclusionary legal protections?
Actually – YES – they do. That’s their choice. But it is not mine. You do have the right to keep your materials or some of your materials under copyright protection. I do sell Feldenkrais mp3′s and other products. They are copyrighted and I have the right to do so. But I also have the right to disseminate ideas in any other way that I choose.
No one owns Feldenkrais
There are those who think they own Moshe Feldenkrais’ work. They are wrong. Ideas can neither be owned nor copyrighted. Moshe’s work is not patented and no guild, association, accreditation board or trainer owns the work of Feldenkrais. Not now – not ever.
Learn More and Get Involved
For more information click any these links: The Feldenkrais Forty (mp3 + transcript). Open-Source Feldenkrais Materials:The First 5 Open Source Feldenkrais (transcripts) Free Feldenkrais-Based Back Pain Relief Workshop (Transcripts)
If you have your own transcripts or mp3 to share, let me know. We can find a way to get them out there. If they are already posted, please put the link in a comment below.
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Ryan Moshe Feldenkrais
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