Swami Kriyananda - Legal Cases - Self-Realization Fellowship Church Vs Ananda Church of Self-Realization Litigation

Self-Realization Fellowship Church Vs Ananda Church of Self-Realization Litigation

Self-Realization Fellowship filed suit against Kriyananda and Ananda regarding Ananda changing its name to Church of Self-Realization and on specific issues regarding writings and recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda. The litigation lasted for around thirteen years (1990-2002). SRF claimed Yogananda wanted SRF to maintain the copyrights to his works and to publish them. SRF also claimed exclusive and sole right (trademark and service mark) to the name “Self-Realization Fellowship”, “Self-Realization Fellowship Church”, "Paramahansa Yogananda", all images of Yogananda and the term "Self-Realization".

SRF prevailed on its insistence that Yogananda repeatedly stated his intentions for SRF to maintain copyrights to his works and to publish them. Both SRF and Ananda had wins and losses. SRF won the service marks “Self-Realization Fellowship” and “Self-Realization Fellowship Church”. SRF lost its service marks to the name "Paramahansa Yogananda" and "Self-realization"; its claim of Unfair Competition; its claim to own copyrights on ten photos of Yogananda. Ananda submitted the following counterclaim and lost all four claims: (1) Violation of the Sherman Act, (2) Libel, (3) Slander, and (4) Unfair Business Practices. In 1992, the Court dismissed the second and third counterclaims on 1st Amendment grounds, and Ananda subsequently withdrew the other two counterclaims.

At a jury trial in 2002, SRF's won the claim that Ananda violated SRF's copyrights to magazine articles written by Yogananda.Another issue on which the jury found in SRF's favor was its claim that Ananda violated SRF copyrights to sound recordings of Yogananda's voice. In mid-litigation Ananda began publication of Yogananda's 1946, first edition of Autobiography of a Yogi.

In 2002 the long litigation was completed with a jury verdict. As reported in The Union, a newspaper located in Grass Valley, California, on October 30, 2002:

The case hinged on the writings and recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda, a native of India who founded Self-Realization Fellowship in the late 1920s. He died in 1952. Walters became a member in 1948 but was "thrown out" in 1962, said Stillman's legal partner, Michael Flynn.

Walters, known as Swami Kriyananda, later started Ananda Village in Nevada County. It became home to hundreds of followers who also revered Yogananda and his words. The group republished his articles and sold his recordings, according to Stillman and Flynn.

Jurors ultimately agreed with Self-Realization Fellowship's argument that Yogananda had repeatedly made his intentions clear before dying - he wanted the fellowship to maintain copyrights to his works.