Intellectual Property Rights And Dance Moves: An Indian Perspective

Granting Copyright

It is true that a work is considered copyrighted the moment it is created but a right to sue for infringement arises only when it is registered. For a dance move to be registered, it should be creative, original, unique, and consist of systematic dance steps. It should not consist of basic dance movements but have some level of uniqueness in order to prove the ownership.

Dance moves are considered choreographic works under Copyright Act of 1957 and are protected under Section 2(h) of the Act as "dramatic work" where any expressive form of art consisting of emotions, science arrangement, a story, creative steps, acting, and entertainment is given protection which is in form of writing, but does not include a cinematograph film.