Thread: Performance theft?? Or divine inspiration??

Whats the deal with folks "borrowing" ideas from your act - or worst case senario - downright copying your ideas....

I like to think its unspoken etiquette to not rip off fellow dancers. ... I understand everyone is influenced and inspired by other people and themes - but to down right rip off someones act... whats the score? what rights do we have to stand up against them and say "hell no honey - I was there first!"

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Hi Ryvita

I read in the Dita book that its a good idea to copyright your ideas/acts and name as people will nick them. sad but perhaps true.
I saw you in Hull, you were fab. Hope to see you there again soon! :twothumbs:

Aww thanks !
Obviously my name is inspired from Dita to be a tongue in cheek homage...
but how on earth do you go about copyrighting your acts and performances??!!

Originally Posted by ryvita von cheese

Aww thanks !
Obviously my name is inspired from Dita to be a tongue in cheek homage...
but how on earth do you go about copyrighting your acts and performances??!!

Having been in the legal end of copyrighting, I hope I can shed some light. It would almost be difficult to copyright an act unless you perform the choreography the exact same way every time, all the time, and every single time. Your act must be "novel" (read: very original and nothing like it). I am sure there are other stipulations that only an attorney can really answer.

However, I think there is an understanding in the burlesque community about "signature acts". For example Dita has the marketed dominated by her signature martini/champagne glass act. Although well known for this act, I do not think she can copyright the idea of "the girl in the martini/champagne glass" because that image existed before Dita performed it.

You may find it useful to read these threads. They were created within the last month and cover issues of act ownership and the distinction between a copy, an homage, and 'the-same-idea-at-the-same-time' x

http://www.ministryofburlesque.com/b...any-ideas.html
http://www.ministryofburlesque.com/b...ad-enough.html
http://www.ministryofburlesque.com/b...-paranoia.html

tis very hard to copyright a routine methinks as already stated you would have to perform it the same way everytime it was performed.

Even if you did perform exactly the same everytime and managed to copy right it that wouldn't stop other people from ripping off your idea and changing it slightly.

Sometimes acts are replicated by accident. I was just told that my fan dance is really similar one that Michelle L'amour has done. I've never met her or seen the routine but it just so happens that we picked the same music and are doing a similar style of dance. I'm gonna change mine a bit now obviously out of respect but sometimes these things do just happen by accident.

What can be done when it'sd your ideas that are used and not what you are currently/previously done in an act?

Let me explain;

I spent many weeks devising a performance on a very specific concept (not burlesque and can't go into too much detail) that involved playing with spontaniety and I was testing out these ideas in an enviroment with others devising their own performances and designing theatre. Some things I came up with were tried out in front of others or they would simply be sharing the space with me. These ideas did not go on to my final performance.

I have just got back from a rather well known theatre festival thats happening at the moment and had front seats to a performance that was devised in that space and with people who were sharing it with me at the time and watched them perform my ideas that didnt make it to my show. Not a similar idea, or something that a lot of people do but the EXACT concept and ideas.

Then I was nearly sick when I saw they had recycled one of my props from a previous project to also use in a similar manner when I thought I had thrown it away!

I wish I could explain this properly but am scared some how this could get read by the wrong people. My friend said I should be flattered that my ideas were that good but I just feel betrayed as these were people I was studying beside.

All it has doen though is spurned me on to do better as a performer and shine a little brighter then them. In fact the whole trip has really inspired me to get myself back on a stage as soon as possible.

Speaking as someone who has had my work copied a number of times over the years (both when I worked in fashion and as a performer), I do take comfort in some words of advice my head designer at the company I worked at gave me when one design of ours was ripped off at the tender age of 15: that those people will *always* need to copy, and will be seen to be doing so. At the end of the day, YOU'RE the one with the ideas, and you can have a new one any second you can choose!

And you can build on that one that's been stolen in a wholly original fashion to inspire you to take it to a toally new level! It's that talent that makes you unique and sets you apart from everyone else!

Well, that's my rather drunken and glib pennyworth anyway...


Vicky xxx

PS. Having said that, anyone who's thinking of stealing my new idea, BACK OFF!! (Haha, just joking! Well, sort of...)

This is totally off the subject but I just really wanted to say, LOVE your name btw! Brilliant and original :excited:

x Violet x