In Search of Adequate Protection for Choreographic Works: Legislative and Judicial Alternatives vs. The Custom of the Dance Community

One of the improvements in the 1976 Copyright Act was the specific recognition of choreographic works as copyrightable material. The Act's focus on the protection of economic rights, however, fails to address the primary interest of the dance community in the preservation of "moral rights" in a work. The author examines the unique concerns of choreographers, and concludes that it is customary, and not legislative or judicial, law that continues to provide the best protection of choreographers' artistic interests.