Today is World Intellectual Property Day and I wish everybody in the dance world a happy World Intellectual Property Day, "Thank you very much" I hear you say "but what's that got to do with me or dance?"
Well everything actually. If you are a dancer you are a performer and performers have the exclusive right to object to the filming, taping or broadcasting of their performances. That's why someone tells the audience to switch off their mobiles and that filming and recording is not allowed just before the curtain rises.
The same goes for the orchestra in the pit or the maestro with his baton.
If you are a choreographer your work is protected against unlicensed performance or copying for the rest of your life plus 70 years. The same for your libretto if you are the dramaturge, your score if you are the composer, your backdrop if you are the artist who painted it and so on.
The sets and costumes may be protected from unlicensed reproduction by unregistered design right or even unregistered Community design.
If you are the Artistic Director or in charge of the company's business you should think about registering the company's name and logo as trade marks if you want to sell branded goods like T-shrts and ballet bags. You make a lot of money from doing that sort of thing.
I've written a lot of stuff about IP and ballet over the years. Here are some of them:
- Ballet as a Brand? How to bring More Money into Dance for Companies and Dancers 13 March 2014
- Protecting the Brand 31 March 2014
- Branding and Ballet - Licensing the Brand 14 April 2014
- Branding and Ballet - Copyright and Rights in Performances 3 My 2014
- Inventions for the Ballet 29 May 2014
- Intellectual Property and Ballet 20 April 2013
- Oh dear I am beginning to sound like a lawyer 8 April 2015
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