October 7, 2000
The Times of India
By Abhay Vaidya
Pune: The on-going battle among Oshoites over copyrigths to Osho’s works has entered the next level with the rebel group having released an entire set of Osho discourses in the MP3 audio CD format.
Thanks to the latest internet-based MP3 audio technology, the rebels based in Pune and New Delhi are confident of providing an easy access to their master’s voice on the Internet.
While in New York-based Osho International Foundation has clamed sole marketing, copyright and trademark admnistration rights over all of Osho’s books, audio and video recordings, the rebel sannyasins are resorting to MP3 technology to spread their master’s word, worldwide.
In the first momentous step in this direction, the New York Delhi based Osho World Foundation released Osho’s discourses on the Bhagwad Gita last month in the MP3 CD format.
“This is the first of our releases”, former Osho Commune spokesman Chaitanya Keerti said while speaking to this newspaper. “We plan to release an entire series on MP3, till each and every recording of Osho is available on the Internet,” Keerti’s associate and fellow rebel sannyasin Swami Tathagat
said.
He said that the rebels too had in their possession the entire collection of over 2000 Osho recordings in a digitalised format. “You will eventually see this entire collection on the Internet and have access to it in your bedroom,” Swami Tathagat said.The set of four compact discs has been produced slickly, carrying one of Osho’s unique “signature paintings.” The CD’s have been packed attractively in a black box with silver letterings.
MP3 is currently the hottest audio currency on the internet as it enables the compression of complex sound files into manageable files. This, consequently allows their easy uploading and downloading on the Internet.
The music industry has been up in arms against the alleged misuse of this technology complaining of huge losses on account of widespread music piracy using MP3.
The rebels who are bolstered by their recent victory in a U.S. arbitration forum which allowed them to retain the Internet domian registration “oshoworld.com”, are now no longer worried about accusations of violating copyrights over Osho’s works.
In a significant interpretation of this judgement in August, Swami Keerti had said that Osho Center leaders around the world “could now carry on without any worry or fear from self-appointed dictators who claim to own everything related to Osho”.
Having devoted their entire life to Osho and his philosophy, the rebels say that they will continue with their mission to popularise Osho. “He instructed us to spread his message and not make profit from his books, audio and video recordings. We plan to do precisely that,” Swami Keerti said.
