Registering your dance work with the ChoreoClaim documents your claim of authorship for your dance choreography. When you register with us, your dance will be date-stamped, and given a unique “content ID” number, and your video file will be watermarked and protected in a secure digital locker. We will preserve a “chain of custody” to further protect your work. Think of the Registry as a “lock box” repository for your dance work.

Although not the same as a federal copyright registration, your ChoreoClaim registration can be used as evidence of your ownership of the copyright in your choreography. It is also recommended to register your choreography with the United States Copyright Office, which will give you the ability to enforce your copyright against infringers.

Yes. On its face, Article 17 of the new EU copyright directive allows online platforms to be held liable for unlawful user content unless they act as copyright cops and bend over backward to ensure infringing content is not available on their platforms. Proof of authorship will be key to protecting your work or receiving financial benefits from infringement or licensing. The ChoreoClaim registration is designed to help you meet these objectives.

By providing a unique and date-stamped certificate of registration, you have evidence of your claim of authorship. In addition, our digital locker storage system provides a chain of custody that can’t be disputed.

The registration fee provides one (1) year of legal evidence for your work. It also helps us maintain the digital storage locker and invest in the technology that will allow you to further protect and monetize your dance.

Yes, but each individual dance requires payment of a separate fee.

Registration is valid for a term of one (1) year. Prior to expiration, registration may be renewed for an additional one-year period at the current registration rate or you can opt for auto-renewal. Renewals will be accepted up to the expiration date of the current registration.

Yes. Unless you have opted for auto-renewal, you will have the opportunity to renew at the end of each term. By renewing you continue to get the protection afforded by the registry.

At any time after registration or renewal, you can withdraw your registration and authorize the registry to destroy your video. Upon withdrawal or expiration, you will no longer gain any of the registry’s protections for your work and your video file will be destroyed.

Registering your work with the ChoreoClaim does not take the place of registering with the U.S. Copyright Office. However, both create valid legal evidence that can be used in court. Questions regarding copyright should be directed to the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. at (202) 707-3000 or to an attorney specializing in that area of law. Click on www.loc.gov for more information.

Yes, you can use your registration with us in the process to apply for Copyright but you need to consult with the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. at (202) 707-3000 or with an attorney specializing in that area of law. Click on www.loc.gov for more information.

You do not need to have a registered Copyright to claim authorship. Although work is considered copyrighted when it is created, you can’t enforce rights, such as suing for infringement in U.S. Federal court, until that work is registered with the Copyright Office. The EU and other countries may have their own copyright requirements and protections. However, Copyright registration is not required to seek collection and monetize your work.

Even if you have a copyright through the Library of Congress, registering with ChoreoClaim creates a separate legal record for your material. ChoreoClaim adds the potential benefit of having ChoreoClaim discover infringers and help you monetize your work. This is similar to how music companies collect advertising revenue for artists and writers from social media platforms (i.e., TikTok & YouTube). We are a dynamic registry and not static such as the U.S. Copyright Office.

Although you may be able to use the registry to help protect your ownership interest in the actual creative work of your video/film, our registry is specifically designed to help protect the “fixed” choreography which is the sequential motion of the dance and not the filmed “video” representation. The registry also does not protect any rights you have in the actual music that might accompany your video. The U. S. Copyright Office defines a “fixation” in choreography or pantomime as something that allows movement to be performed in a “consistent and uniform manner”.

Only ChoreoClaim’s administrative team is able to access information submitted by you. This is to protect the privacy of your information, to protect the chain of custody, and to protect your chain of title.
In the event an author is deceased, proof of death and consent of the representative of the heirs and/or estate must be presented in order to obtain specific information regarding the registration. The representative must provide court documents authenticating his or her claim as a legal heir.

Because the deposited video cannot be returned to you without defeating the purpose of registration, registered videos may not be withdrawn. It is therefore important to always retain a separate copy of your dance work being registered. If for extraordinary circumstances, you find it necessary to obtain a copy of the deposited video, duplicates may be purchased for the price of registration upon written request by one or more of the listed authors, identified by government-issued photo ID. In the event an author is deceased, proof of death and consent of the representative of the heirs and/or estate must be presented in order to obtain a digital copy of the video.

In no event, except under these provisions, shall any deposited video or information regarding submitted information be provided unless a court order or other legal process has been served.

THIS IS ALL TO SECURE & PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS.

Once a work is tracked, using artificial intelligence (“AI”) learning tools, the video asset can then be mapped to replicate a unique watermark using motion to identify the core movements in the Work. This “mapped” representation of the Work can then be used to discover similar choreography being used without permission in the digital domain / social media (i.e., TikTok, YouTube, etc.).

We are currently in development with leading technology providers and anticipate that we’ll be announcing our revolutionary application in 2025/2026. We’ll keep all registrants updated on our progress as we test and scale our systems. Just note that unique technological applications take time to develop, proof of concept, and implement, so, although we anticipate these dates to be possible to meet, the exact timing might vary. We want this to work for you, so please be patient.

Historically, the manual process of “Labanotation” has been the most commonly used form of codified dance notation. Developed and published in 1928, it uses vertical staffs (one per performer) and symbols indicating the body part, direction, length, and intent for a movement. Similar to Labanotation, technology can now be applied to achieve a digitized description of dance.

Motion Tracking is an umbrella term to cover any software application that tracks movements. One of the best things about being able to detect motion on video is the ability to switch on and start recording only when movement occurs. Motion tracking is used in advanced video editing to add something to a shot, stabilize film, insert 3D items, color grade, and a whole host of other types of applications including facial recognition. It is sometimes called match moving.

As a choreographer, you should be able to decide if a social media user can or cannot publish a video that uses your Choreography. If you allow the use, you should be credited and compensated for it. Our technology will allow you to set rules for your content (monetize, block, track) on participating platforms, so you can control its use. These rules go into effect before content is published, so you can prevent leaks or license-positive promotion.