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ARTICLE · 11 SEPTEMBER 2025

When Is Dancing Not Just Dancing? When Copyright And Choreography Intersect

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What do TikTok, "emotes", dance moves, "Apple," and video games all have in common? Well, recently they were all at the centre of a very modern intellectual property (IP) dispute...

United KingdomIntellectual Property
Robert A. McNaughton
Robert A. McNaughton
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What do TikTok, "emotes", dance moves, "Apple," and video games all have in common? Well, recently they were all at the centre of a very modern intellectual property (IP) dispute, involving a social media influencer and a popular online gaming platform. And, as in all IP disputes, there are lessons that can be learned, including to remind entertainment and video game companies of the importance of IP considerations when rolling out a new product, title, game, content or feature.

As reported by the BBC, social media influencer Kelly Heyer, TikTok user and creator of a popular dance choreography set to the Charlie XCX song "Apple," settled her dispute with Roblox, an online gaming platform, relating to Roblox's use of the choreography in an "emote" (a celebratory animation used by players) available on its wildly popular gaming platform.

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