Open Letter

 

Date: 10 August 2013

 

Friends,

 

As there were some centers asking for clarification of some rumors regarding Ramateertha (Robert Doetsch) and his involvement in the European trademark case, the Inner Circle/OIF provided some facts about this in a letter to the German Centers. This was about two weeks ago Jul 2013 - Open Letter.

 

Ramateertha (Robert Doetsch) responded to that letter and it is important to clarify some points he made in his response.

 

He says, “A trademark for ‘educational services; yoga instruction; religious services; meditation services’ has never existed before under whatever name Osho has been using. It was established in Europe only in 1998 -- eight years after Osho left the body.” This is untrue. OIF has provided documentation that already during Osho’s life the foundation expanded trademark registrations into areas that needed to be protected, like meditation services.

 

A specific trademark, “RAJNEESH” for “meditation services” existed:

 

“EDUCATIONAL SERVICES NAMELY, CONDUCTING COURSES IN SPIRITUAL THERAPY, MIND AND BODY TRAINING, MEDITATION, SELF-TRANSFORMATION, AND COUNSELING.” This was a valid mark in the USA until 1993 and is now replaced by exactly the same protection for “OSHO.” (The original registration is attached).

 

It's also worth remembering that Ramateertha – without any backup for his statements – has been fighting for some years against Osho’s foundation and the people Osho chose to take care of the administrative parts of his work. Osho Centers are Osho’s centers and have particular guidelines, which Osho Global Connections takes care of – exactly as Osho arranged it.

 

Ramateertha is attempting to deny OIF’s right to follow Osho’s instructions and guidelines on how to expand and to protect his work.

 

In his letter he compares himself with a witch during the time of the inquisition.

 

Given that he spent years sitting at the feet of UG Krishnamurti who trashes Osho in his talks, the more appropriate comparison might be with Osho explaining his attitude towards people who chose not to accept his guidance, but rather chose "to do their own thing," or who even wanted to attack his work. There are specific examples where Osho clearly asked even his own centers or sannyasins not to use his name. For example, Osho Viha Meditation Center wanted to publish a magazine, but not to follow his editorial guidance. They were told by Osho that if they wanted to do their own thing, then not to use his name.

 

Ramateertha states, “Fact is that OIF tried to establish a trademark Osho in the US. Disciples of Osho opposed the trademark and it was declared invalid in 2009!”

 

This is not correct. A small group of people, including and supported by Ramateertha, attacked Osho’s foundation. And in the fundamentalist religious atmosphere of America this group provided such specifically misleading material to the US Trademark Court to persuade them to view “Osho” as a “religion” – the last thing Osho would ever have wanted. So, the US trademarks that Osho had asked for were cancelled.

 

A few German center leaders recently met in Germany and instead of seeing the clarifying facts in the letter from the Inner Circle/OIF as just that, some of them felt these where attacks on Ramateertha.

 

OIF has never attacked Ramateertha.

 

But OIF has, and will, respond to each attack in which Ramateertha is involved – continuing for more than a decade now –in an attempt to strip Osho’s work of the legal protection of trademarks and copyright which Osho has specifically asked for.