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Choreography Copyright Reform
Payton B.
started this petition to
Payton Brianne
Proposal: Choreography Registration Reform
For choreography to receive meaningful copyright protection, the first step is structural reform of the U.S. Copyright Office’s registration system. Though 17 U.S.C. § 102(a)(4) technically includes choreography as a protected category, the existing framework fails to reflect the ways in which choreography is created, shared, and monetized in the modern music industry. Even industry leaders are sounding the alarm. The Choreographers Guild, formed in 2023, has actively petitioned for stronger copyright protections and collective bargaining power, underscoring the urgency of modernizing existing frameworks. By redesigning the registration process to accommodate the needs of freelance choreographers, short form creators, and under-resourced artists, the law can begin to deliver on the promise of equal protection for all creative contributors.
A. Tiered Registration Options for Short Form Dance
The current system is ill suited for the realities of short form choreography. The registration process assumes traditional, full length works (like staged ballets or concert tours) rather than 15-60 second routines designed for platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Yet these shorter routines often drive the largest impact in terms of visibility, replication, and audience engagement. To address this, the Copyright Office should introduce a tiered registration system that includes an abbreviated, low cost pathway for short form works. This model could mirror existing approaches to microregistrations used in digital art, allowing creators to register dance works under a minute with minimal documentation requirements and reduced fees. The system might allow creators to bundle multiple short form routines (e.g., “Spring 2025 TikTok Series”) under a single application, reducing cost and administrative burden while increasing access. Such a pathway would make protection more attainable for viral creators, educators, and small-scale choreographers, many of whom operate independently and lack legal representation. Without accessible registration options, these creators face near total exclusion from enforcement rights, licensing structures, or future monetization opportunities.
B. Video-Based Submissions with Metadata Tagging
The second critical reform involves updating the submission format. Currently, the Copyright Office permits video submission, but still encourages detailed written notations– an outdated requirement that few modern choreographers use. Instead, the system should formalize and streamline video based registration using common digital formats (.mov) and allow creators to tag key metadata, such as duration, music track, collaborators, and intended platform (e.g., live show, TikTok, music video). Metadata tagging would serve two major purposes. First, it would help confirm the work’s scope and originality. Second, it would enable future searchability and traceability, especially important as social media reposts and remixes blur ownership lines. Standardizing the submission of metadata with video could also lay the foundation for a centralized choreography database– a reference point for crediting, licensing, and resolving disputes.
C. Educational Tools and Rights Assertion Guidance
Beyond structural reform, the Copyright Office must improve public facing educational tools to demystify the registration process for choreographers. Currently, few accessible resources explain what kinds of choreography are eligible, how to document authorship, or what to do when a dance goes viral. An improved education portal could include:
Systemic Benefits of Registration Reform
Implementing these reforms would offer clear and immediate benefits:
ENDORSEMENT OF SUPPORT
Modernizing Copyright Protections for Choreographers Authored by Payton Brianne, J.D., LL.M.
Background Under 17 U.S.C. § 102(a)(4), choreography is recognized as a protected category under U.S. copyright law. However, the current registration system is outdated and inaccessible to many of today’s working choreographers. The process was designed for traditional, long-form works and not the short-form, digital, collaborative choreography that defines modern entertainment and social media. To make copyright protection meaningful and equitable for choreographers, reform is urgently needed.
Proposed Framework for Reform
1. Tiered Registration Options for Short-Form Dance
Create an affordable, simplified registration pathway for short works (under 60 seconds), allowing multiple routines to be registered together under a single application. This mirrors successful “microregistration” systems used in other art forms and makes protection accessible for viral creators and freelancers.
2. Video-Based Submissions with Metadata Tagging
Modernize the submission format by accepting standard digital video files with embedded metadata (music track, collaborators, duration, platform). This would establish a searchable choreography database and provide clearer evidence of authorship and originality.
3. Educational Tools and Creator Guidance
Develop public-facing resources through the Copyright Office to help choreographers understand their rights — including documentation templates, Creative Commons guidance, and educational outreach in schools and studios.
Purpose of This Endorsement
This initiative is authored by Payton Brianne, J.D., LL.M., and was first presented through the Recording Academy’s Entertainment Law Initiative. The next step is to formally present the proposal to the U.S. Copyright Office with industry and community support. By signing below, you are expressing support for modernizing the Copyright Office’s framework to make copyright registration accessible, affordable, and effective for choreographers of all levels. Your endorsement does not imply organizational co-authorship, only alignment with the goals and intent of these proposed reforms.
A. Tiered Registration Options for Short Form Dance
The current system is ill suited for the realities of short form choreography. The registration process assumes traditional, full length works (like staged ballets or concert tours) rather than 15-60 second routines designed for platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Yet these shorter routines often drive the largest impact in terms of visibility, replication, and audience engagement. To address this, the Copyright Office should introduce a tiered registration system that includes an abbreviated, low cost pathway for short form works. This model could mirror existing approaches to microregistrations used in digital art, allowing creators to register dance works under a minute with minimal documentation requirements and reduced fees. The system might allow creators to bundle multiple short form routines (e.g., “Spring 2025 TikTok Series”) under a single application, reducing cost and administrative burden while increasing access. Such a pathway would make protection more attainable for viral creators, educators, and small-scale choreographers, many of whom operate independently and lack legal representation. Without accessible registration options, these creators face near total exclusion from enforcement rights, licensing structures, or future monetization opportunities.
B. Video-Based Submissions with Metadata Tagging
The second critical reform involves updating the submission format. Currently, the Copyright Office permits video submission, but still encourages detailed written notations– an outdated requirement that few modern choreographers use. Instead, the system should formalize and streamline video based registration using common digital formats (.mov) and allow creators to tag key metadata, such as duration, music track, collaborators, and intended platform (e.g., live show, TikTok, music video). Metadata tagging would serve two major purposes. First, it would help confirm the work’s scope and originality. Second, it would enable future searchability and traceability, especially important as social media reposts and remixes blur ownership lines. Standardizing the submission of metadata with video could also lay the foundation for a centralized choreography database– a reference point for crediting, licensing, and resolving disputes.
C. Educational Tools and Rights Assertion Guidance
Beyond structural reform, the Copyright Office must improve public facing educational tools to demystify the registration process for choreographers. Currently, few accessible resources explain what kinds of choreography are eligible, how to document authorship, or what to do when a dance goes viral. An improved education portal could include:
- Templates for video documentation
- Guides to distinguishing protectable choreography vs. unprotectable movement
- Instructions for using Creative Commons licenses or asserting rights on social platforms
- Outreach in dance schools, universities, and creator spaces
Systemic Benefits of Registration Reform
Implementing these reforms would offer clear and immediate benefits:
- Accessibility: Lowering cost and complexity would expand access to creators previously shut out of protection, particularly freelancers, teachers, and independent artists.
- Standardization: Metadata tagging and educational tools would help normalize crediting and licensing, aligning choreography with other creative fields like music and design.
- Scalability: A modernized, searchable choreography registry would serve as infrastructure for future legal and industry mechanisms, such as automated crediting or monetized reuse systems.
ENDORSEMENT OF SUPPORT
Modernizing Copyright Protections for Choreographers Authored by Payton Brianne, J.D., LL.M.
Background Under 17 U.S.C. § 102(a)(4), choreography is recognized as a protected category under U.S. copyright law. However, the current registration system is outdated and inaccessible to many of today’s working choreographers. The process was designed for traditional, long-form works and not the short-form, digital, collaborative choreography that defines modern entertainment and social media. To make copyright protection meaningful and equitable for choreographers, reform is urgently needed.
Proposed Framework for Reform
1. Tiered Registration Options for Short-Form Dance
Create an affordable, simplified registration pathway for short works (under 60 seconds), allowing multiple routines to be registered together under a single application. This mirrors successful “microregistration” systems used in other art forms and makes protection accessible for viral creators and freelancers.
2. Video-Based Submissions with Metadata Tagging
Modernize the submission format by accepting standard digital video files with embedded metadata (music track, collaborators, duration, platform). This would establish a searchable choreography database and provide clearer evidence of authorship and originality.
3. Educational Tools and Creator Guidance
Develop public-facing resources through the Copyright Office to help choreographers understand their rights — including documentation templates, Creative Commons guidance, and educational outreach in schools and studios.
Purpose of This Endorsement
This initiative is authored by Payton Brianne, J.D., LL.M., and was first presented through the Recording Academy’s Entertainment Law Initiative. The next step is to formally present the proposal to the U.S. Copyright Office with industry and community support. By signing below, you are expressing support for modernizing the Copyright Office’s framework to make copyright registration accessible, affordable, and effective for choreographers of all levels. Your endorsement does not imply organizational co-authorship, only alignment with the goals and intent of these proposed reforms.
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