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" We are proud of Hwa Rang Do's special and specific identity.
The honorable integrity of our martial art is different than
other generic martial arts!"
Judicial Committee:
Due to ongoing litigation, the WHRDA has modified the Judicial Committee ("Committee") Page. On advice of legal counsel, we have removed temporarily the former page, which featured a substantive discussion on the state of martial arts today; the role of self-regulation; the impact of market forces and modern consumerism on maintaining traditional martial values; and the specific reasons why certain individuals were disciplined by the Committee.
We still identify the following individuals as having been disciplined for violations of the WHRDA's rules and regulations:
• Bob E. Duggan,
Rifle, Colorado, reduced to White Belt in 1986
• Gil Kim a.k.a. "Peter" Kim,
Huntington Beach, CA, reduced to White Belt in 1991
• Ken Corona,
Poenix, AZ, reduced to White Belt in 2001
• Klaus Wachsmann,
Bochum, Germany, reduced to White Belt in 2001Most important, these individuals are not authorized to teach Hwa Rang Do, which is a martial art that has not fallen into "generic" status. In modern times, personal promise and social norms can no longer protect an art's integrity; instead, intellectual property laws must be invoked and enforced. The Association's position is that although individuals should be able to make a living as martial artists based on whatever skills they have acquired, they do not have the right to copy an entire martial arts system--in terms of name, distinctive logos and uniform, sequencing of techniques, forms, curriculum, and vocabulary. The WHRDA is vigorously pursuing this position in courts of law.
After litigation has completed and the chill of liability has lifted, we will restore a revised version of the former page, to express again the WHRDA's general thoughts on martial arts and specific facts about disciplinary actions.
Judicial Committee Page: revised May 8, 2006
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