Many people feel that it is important for OIF (Osho International Foundation) to own Osho trademarks and copyrights to protect the purity of Osho′s words and works from any distortion, dilution,
and/or editing. However, this is happening all the time, and the biggest offender, in my opinion, is OIF.
Who is able to challenge OIF on their editing, dilution, and distortion of Osho′s work?
For example, OIF has produced 25 Osho compilation books (most of them were published by St. Martin′s Press, NY). These compilation books contain Osho′s words in some form, but they are not pure Osho
books.
I remember that in the 1980s (when Osho was still alive) the "Rebel Press", (the official publisher of Osho′s work) produced many popular compilation Osho books. When I later tried to order
these titles, I was informed that Osho did not want His books produced as compilation books, and Rebel Press (at that time) stopped producing any compilations.
But there is another side to this story. The Osho compilation books produced (in the years since Osho′s death) by St. Martin′s Press and a few other publishers have sold worldwide in the millions, have
made lots of royalty money for OIF, and have also brought lots of people to Osho. Due to good advertising and promotion, the compilations are very popular and outsell all original Osho titles.
I have been selling Osho books for 23 years and know that new people especially like the compilation books. When I went to Brazil a few years ago and visited the Brasilia airport bookstore I found
eight Osho compilation books (in Portuguese) prominently displayed in the window. When I (currently) visit the local Barnes & Noble or Borders bookstores ( here in California) I see 10 to 20 Osho
compilation books for sale.
OIF has done a great job in making Osho books available worldwide, but they are not pure Osho books.
In the past few years I have noticed an interesting trend: Some of my buyers insist on buying "Rajneesh" books as they know that these are pure, unedited books.
Love to you all,
Dhanyam
Dhanyam has sold Osho books for some 25 years, and also laudably supported the community sannyas magazine based in California, "Viha Connection", through all that time.