Partner Membership Rules

1. The aim of Partner Membership

The aim of Global Kyokushin Budokai Partner Membership is to create an international professional network in which different martial arts organisations, federations and clubs can work together as equal parties while fully preserving their own identity and independence.

The principle of Partner Membership:

cooperation without subordination, sharing knowledge without losing identity.

2. The Partner's full independence

A GKB Partner Member keeps its own name and organisational identity, its emblem and symbols, its legal and financial independence, its management system, its professional and grading system, its grades and titles, its own membership, its national and international relations, and its membership in other martial arts organisations.

Partner Membership does not mean organisational subordination, merger or exclusivity. GKB does not require its Partner to end or restrict its existing organisational relations.

3. Cooperation as equals

The relationship between GKB and its Partner rests on mutual respect, professional autonomy and mutual benefit. Neither party is entitled to interfere in the other's internal organisational affairs.

The aim of Partner Membership is to create shared professional value, not a new organisational dependency.

4. A shared knowledge base

The Partner is entitled to contribute its own knowledge and experience to the continuous expansion of GKB's international digital Knowledge Base.

In this context, the Partner may provide:

• professional writings and studies;
• instructional and demonstration films;
• technical and methodological material;
• historical material;
• its organisation's current professional news, events and results;
• other professional content of value to the international Budo community.

GKB's aim is for its Knowledge Base to be not only a collection of its own knowledge but a continuously developing international centre for the knowledge of the masters and partner organisations connected to it.

5. Copyright and ownership

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the copyright and ownership of the professional material that the Partner makes available to GKB remain with the original rights holder.

The appearance of material in GKB's Knowledge Base does not in itself transfer its ownership or copyright. GKB may use such content only in the manner and within the limits authorised by the Partner.

6. Mutual online presence and access

GKB may give its Partner an opportunity to present itself on GKB's own international website, and provides a direct link to the Partner's official organisational website.

In return, the Partner undertakes to support, on its own website and, as far as it is able, on its other official online channels, direct access to the professional written and video material available on GKB's website and to GKB's Knowledge Base, so that its own members can easily reach the professional knowledge available to them.

The aim is to build a connected international Budo knowledge network.

7. Partner access and discounts

Individuals belonging to Partner Membership are entitled to access GKB's paid professional content on preferential terms, in particular books, e-books, professional films, video series and other digital educational material.

These Rules do not fix the current level of the discounts. The applicable Partner discount is determined and applied when a book, film, digital content or other access is ordered, on the basis of registration and identification of belonging to the Partner.

Partner discounts may differ from the discounts given to individuals belonging to GKB's direct member organisations.

8. Joint professional programmes

By mutual agreement, GKB and its Partners may organise joint seminars, training camps, competitions, conferences, instructor programmes, professional meetings, research, publications and other projects.

The parties may exchange instructors and professional experience, and may take part in each other's events. The parties may agree separately on the specific conditions of each joint programme.

9. Grades and titles

Partner Membership does not override the Partner's own system of grades and titles. The Partner's existing grades, titles and professional hierarchy remain part of the Partner's own system, unchanged.

Grades, titles or professional recognitions issued by GKB operate in a separate GKB system.

Recognition by GKB of the grades or titles of other organisations, where there is a wish for it, is a matter for separate professional assessment or mutual agreement.

10. Use of name and emblem

The Partner continues to use its own name and emblem unchanged.

The Partner may use GKB's name and emblem only to present the existing partnership truthfully, or with GKB's prior consent.

Partner Membership does not entitle either party to take on legal or financial obligations in the other's name.

11. Financial provisions

Any financial conditions relating to Partner Membership and to the services available within the cooperation are governed by a separate internal Financial Annex or, where needed, by an individual agreement between the parties.

The Financial Annex does not form part of the publicly published Partner Membership Rules.

12. Termination of Partner Membership

Partner Membership may be ended by a written statement of either party.

In the case of serious ethical or contractual misconduct, or conduct that demonstrably harms the other party's reputation, Partner Membership may be suspended or ended.

The end of the partnership does not affect either party's independent organisation, membership, grades or other international relations.

13. The principle of Partner Membership

The aim of GKB Partner Membership is not to create yet another international hierarchy placed above other organisations. Our aim is to connect organisations that are able to learn from one another, share their own values with others, and contribute together to the future of Kyokushin and Budo.

We seek not to absorb organisations but to connect them.

Not to erase identities but to share their values.

We do not want to collect followers; we want to connect knowledge.

14. Final provisions

By accepting these Partner Membership Rules, the Partner declares that it has understood and accepts their principles.

The detailed conditions of individual partnerships may also be set out in a separate bilateral cooperation agreement.

Budapest, 2026.

Hanshi Dr. István Adámy
9th dan – Kaicho
Global Kyokushin Budokai