Dance, Social Media, & Copyright: Are Choreographers Being Sold Short?
Open Access
Author:
Manuud, Kara
Area of Honors:
Legal Environment of Business
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Daniel Robert Cahoy, Thesis Supervisor Fiona Greaves, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
dance choreography copyright law social media intellectual property business law
Abstract:
Choreography has become a matter of increasing importance. With technological advancement, the means of sharing such works are greater than ever. Social media is a major channel for performing arts and the public has been gravitating towards it exponentially. However, this makes it even more difficult to determine what copyright means in the world of dance and choreography. As public figures on sites like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are being monetized for their virtual dance performances, unfrequented choreographers are not being credited for those exact routines performed. How do choreographers obtain their rights in the age of social media? This overarching theme calls for a change in the framework of choreography copyrightability. The current statute is outdated, and revisions must be made to fit the technology and prominence of choreography today. A firm definition for “choreographic work” needs to be put in place within the statute of the Copyright Act of 1976, as one does not exist today. Moreover, the statute needs to discuss social media and its impact on copyright, especially in terms of choreographic works. This thesis argues for such revisions in the existing model of copyright law.
