Why did the IKMA and its representatives fight to have the name Krav Maga declared generic in the United States?
The IKMA’s representatives in the United States fought and defeated the attempted trademark of the name Krav Maga. We had to preserve the IKMA’s ability to teach Israeli Krav Maga in the United States. We recognize this opened the floodgates to anyone claiming to be a Krav Maga instructor to teach his or her imitation of Israeli Krav Maga. This, indeed, may well lead to the degradation of Krav Maga’s stellar reputation. However, as the original and longest standing Krav Maga organization founded in 1978, given the choice of the ability to teach in the United States using the name Krav Maga or being prohibited by an attempted trademark of the name Krav Maga, the choice was obvious. We fought and won. Our mission is to preserve the well earned and fought for reputation of Israeli Krav Maga through the most up to date instruction and maintaining the strongest ties to Krav Maga’s source: Israel.
