Pilates is not trademarked, and it shows.  Let's talk about it. First, let me start by saying that If Jospeh Pilates were alive all these years, the chances are high that his method, equipment, and exercises would have evolved and might have looked slightly different than they did for the many years he was alive. But have you ever walked into a studio and found yourself doing a million lunges, using equipment you've never seen in a pilates studio before, with zero attention to breath or modifications, and it feels more like a nightclub with never-ending pulses? Yeah, me too. "But the studio name has the word Pilates in it!" That's because the word Pilates is not trademarked, which means ANYONE can use it in a class name or studio name, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. A great example of this is CrossFit. CrossFit requires gym owners to have a license agreement if they call themselves a CrossFit gym . It's an annual cost they must pay. I believe that unless Joe and Clara Pilates decided to trademark it in some way, then no one else should have the trademark. It allows Private Instructors like me to have home studios and use the name Pilates. Now this part gets crazy. Have you ever seen this piece of equipment in a "pilates" studio? yup, that's a mega former.