Choudhury’s most recent legal case involved Evolation Yoga, a Florida-based studio that the magnate accused of copyright violations.
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The decision was the latest setback for Choudhury, who was born in India and made a fortune with his style of “hot yoga”.
Bikram Choudhury published a book in 1979 with descriptions, photographs and drawings of the yoga sequence, which is practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).
On Thursday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled that Choudhury’s sequence of poses weren’t protected under copyright law.
Judge Kim Wardlaw, who wrote the opinion (PDF), notes that the practice and philosophy of yoga dates back thousands of years. But with success hasn’t been without controversy. The studio was founded by Mark Drost and Zefea Samson in New York after they completed a Bikram yoga teacher-training course developed by Choudhury.
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Choudhury also faces six lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault.
