©1997-2004 VNN
|
WORLD  Brahmananda Prohibited BY ITV USA, Aug 26 (VNN) — Due to the continued flagrant violation of international law, GBC law, custom-tailored GBC resolutions on the specific issue, Brahmananda and Gargamuni are not allowed to give any keynote address, sit on the Vyasasana, MC any Iskcon events, or be given any public stamp of approval until they are found to be in compliance with the GBC brokered agreement that they entered into in 2002. Moreover, no Iskcon organizations or devotees are permitted to purchase illegitimate or legitimate goods from them. In effect, Iskcon members are to boycott the brothers business altogether. Recently, the brothers have pirated HH Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja's new videos, Karnamrita's new CD, ITV's SP DVD Library, Bhaktivedanta Archives Folio, the installation video of the Panca Tattva, and countless other works. The BBT is concerned that they will pirate the new Darshan dvd that accompanies the book showing deities all over the world. Krsna Prema and Nitya Tripta have quit doing digital media due to the brothers' bootlegging which commands a significant business being in the crossroads of Vaisnavisim - Vrndabana. The following letters were sent out in July: Letter 1 Dear Devotees, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. The GBC has gone on record as per GBC minutes 2002 appendix 3, that it does not approve of the violation of copyrights and it has prohibited such activities in ISKCON. Especially when devotees work hard and then the products they create are copied without permission, these violations create a disturbance in the society. With this in mind, the GBC instructs all ISKCON temples, shops, and devotees to not purchase such goods. Since we want to eliminate this activity completely from our ISKCON society, and to protect the sanctity of our copyrights and trademarks, all steps should be taken to encourage those who are engaged in this activity to stop. Thus, ISKCON temples, shops and devotees should not purchase any goods at all, even legitimate goods, from those engaged in the practice of pirating. We are confident that devotees will follow this instruction and no further action will be required to be taken by the GBC. Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada, GBC Executive Committee ----------------------- Letter 2 / This went to the board members of the MVT and the Vrindaban Executive Board. Dear Members of the MVT and VEB, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. As there is a serious and growing problem regarding illegal activity presently being carried out on the MVT property, the GBC EC desires to this situation resolved. The EC is seeking your help in this regard. The illegal activity in question is the pirating of various media products by Brahmananda prabhu and Gargamuni prabhu. The EC strongly urges that Brahmananda prabhu and Gargamuni prabhu leave the MVT property, as per the GBC brokered agreement, until such time as the GBC has determined that they are in compliance with that agreement. This request is for the sake and well-being of both ISKCON and the MVT. Should legal action ever be initiated, it is essential that we are on record as opposing this illegal activity. Due to the possibility of legal action, we really have no choice but to take this course of action. We would like your feedback on this request and thank you all in advance for your co-operation. Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada GBC Executive Committee ----------------------- Letter 3 / This went to the chair of the Indian Regional Board (Bhaktarupa prabhu is the chair this year. The board includes all temple presidents and Indian GBCs) Dear Chairman: Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. As you may be aware there is a problem at the moment with the sale of pirated goods throughout ISKCON. The GBC EC is currently working to rectify this prob-lem and is seeking your assistance in this regard. Therefore we are requesting the following. That until such a time as Brahmananda prabhu and Gargamuni prabhu are found by the GBC to be in compliance with the GBC brokered agreement that they entered into in 2002, they should not be given a public stamp of approval in the eyes of the devotee public by being invited to give classes, acting as MCs at festivals, or giving keynote addresses etc., at our temples or ISKCON events. It should be noted that the GBC EC would prefer not to be taking this course of action but Brahmananda prabhu and Gargamuni prabhu have left us little choice. Those engaged in pirating have created this situation and we are obliged, as a matter of duty, to act accordingly to protect the copyrights that Srila Prabhupada expressly vested in the BBT, as well as the hard, honest, and sincere work done by other devotees to produce devotional materials. The key to turning this around is in their hands. If they change their behavior, we would be only too happy to lift all these restrictions. Their actions have created this situation, not ours. Indeed, we have bent over backwards to try to accommodate them; now we have no choice but to take action. Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada, GBC Executive Committee Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
|
