De Mille writes that over the next several years the influence of Protas grew, eventually he and Graham restructured the company entirely.
According to de Mille, Protas soon embarked on a campaign to copyright the Martha Graham Dance Technique: "Now, under the guidance of Ron Protas, there was an attempt to charge royalties for all usage, not only of composed dances, but of actual technique: an impossible objective."
Eventually, Protas became the second most powerful person in the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, second only to the founder herself.
[1] In her autobiography Blood Memory Martha Graham writes that she trained Protas in her dance technique and that he will be her heir upon her death.
Only after a lengthy and multimillion-dollar legal battle were the rights to the choreographic works restored the Martha Graham Dance Company.