My Self Improvement

they call me Bindi asked:


i know a person who attended a well known self help gure from the USA this person has spent thousands of dollars on seminars books and cds
She even traveled interstate to attend a meeting she has gone 3 years in a row she has been told by 5 years she will have a better job she will also have a happy relationship and be financally secure well on her way to being a millionare within 5 years
I personally dont agree and think its imoral and fraud to get a group of incecure people take there money and tell them to jump up and down and wave your arms up in the air and shout i will be a winner
For the record this person still has the same job and the same rate of pay and is still single, this is just my oppinion but surelly the most insecure person would have the sence that to inprove yourself you dont need to pay somebody else thousands of dollars i told my friend maybe she should do some courses and maybe join a few social clubs not spent money on some money hungry guru
GIVE ME A BREAK

JESUS

So Tir asked:


This might seem a bit odd, but I have often wondered, with the almost identical nature of various recent and time-tested self-improvement materials out there, why haven’t self-help authors, motivational speakers, or even Scientology sued one another to pieces over Intellectual property or copyright violations, et cetera? Does this mean anyone can all but mimick Joe Guru’s latest / greatest book or technique without fear of legal repercussion?

I understand that it is commonly accepted knowledge that very few truly “novel” concepts emerge in personal development tools. The question is, with the exception of the recent lawsuit over “The Secret”, why is it that such similar materials like self-help books do not violate some legal scenario?

Most thorough reply wins. Many thanks.

YOUNG

So Tir asked:


How do self-help authors avoid lawsuits for infringement (and such) when the material is always basically the same stuff. Is it the re-hashing of stale material that makes it somehow legally ‘pure’ to sell? Go deep and win points.

TAMEKA