How Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Trademarking of MBSR Allowed Monopolizing of Military Contracts for Mindfulness Training
Trademarking of EMDR showed why we should worry when developers trademark psychotherapy interventions
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Portions of this story originally appeared in CoyneoftheRealm Quick Thoughts on May 17, 2017 as “What Jon Kabat-Zinn’s trademarking of MBSR means for mindfulness training.” The archives were vandalized and posts had to be resuscitated and refurbished. The post has been revised and updated to include a credible new RAND review of the effectiveness of mindfulness for the military, law enforcement, and first responders that seems to be getting almost no attention.
Jon Kabat-Zinn has trademarked MBSR, legally restricting the use by others of the acronym for Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction without his licensing.
Trademarking a treatment is unusual but can be lucrative in the multi-billion dollar business of mindfulness.
The mindfulness industry is increasingly dominated by vertical monopolies in which entrepreneurs dictate the need for mindfulness products and who can deliver them. Trademarking is a key tool for accomplishing this.
Jon Kabat-Zinn’s trademarking of MBSR all…