“While works of dance clearly are eligible for copyright protection under Section 102(a)(4) of the Copyright Act, determining which dances meet the standard — and which have two left feet — has been tricky and has resulted in a number of high-profile disputes in recent years. However, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an unrelated copyright dispute may provide important guidance in subsequent dance-related copyright litigation.” – IPWatchdog
Tag: 11.19.20
Christmas Panto In The Pandemic
It seems you can’t keep England’s antic, anarchic holiday tradition down, even as disease stalks the land. Chris Wiegand talks to producers who are putting their pantos on film and in car parks. – The Guardian
France’s Anti-Colonialist Art Thief-Activist Acquitted On Free-Speech Grounds
Mwazulu Diyabanza and three accomplices were found not guilty of attempted theft by a judge at Marseille’s High Court over a July 30 incident in which the four men took a ceremonial ivory spear from its perch in the city’s Museum of African, Oceanic, and Amerindian Arts, carried the object to the museum’s courtyard, denounced the “plunder” of African art by European colonials during the 19th and 20th centuries, and awaited the arrival of the police. – Artnet
Calling In Cancel Culture
“I think you can understand how calling out is toxic. It really does alienate people, and makes them fearful of speaking up.” – The New York Times
The Canadian Broadcasting Act May Be Changing To Benefit Indigenous Producers
The proposed changes to the act would require funding to Indigenous content producers – and require content be produced in Indigenous languages as well. Some producers are a bit wary: “Winnipeg-based Cree director, writer and producer J.J. Neepin said this bill would be a major recognition of Indigenous Peoples and languages but added that she feels it will be a slow process to get going.” – CBC
How The Houston Symphony Returned To The Stage For Live Performances
To be honest, part of the reason this could even be tried was that the governor of Texas didn’t institute a wide lockdown. That said, the symphony, which resumed weekly live concerts in July, consulted researchers from Rice to figure out where “microparticles” from musicians go within the symphony hall, and to institute better ventilation and filtration systems. (But the concerts have a livestreaming option for audience members who are not persuaded.) – Houston Chronicle
Some Of The Many Books That Helped Us Cope In 2020
Mysteries, children’s books, nonfiction, romance, books about race and racism, and so much more – along with an awful lot of screentime and chill, it’s how we coped with this, OK, yes, unprecendented year. – Washington Post
In Their Country’s Second Lockdown, London’s Royal Ballet Dancers Are Still Performing
The director of the Royal Ballet, discussing the live-streamed performances: “It’s so important for them to do what they’re trained to do, to be in the studios together, to be rehearsing, and to be performing. It’s their job; it’s their life.” – CNN
Banks Have Continued To Collect Art As Museums Retreat
As pandemic-related shutdowns have entered their ninth month, and as public collections around the world dramatically scale back programming—if not the collections themselves—banks and other large corporations have continued to collect, lend, and exhibit art. By comparison, 1 in 3 American museums never reopened after shutting down in March, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the American Alliance of Museums. – Bloomberg
“Wonder Woman” Plan Threatens Movie Theatres
“By now, you’ve read a million paeans to the magic of sitting in a darkened theater, but it’s not just the evanescent experience of the silver screen that’s been whisked away. On a purely practical level, theaters act as a filter, a way of separating out a small handful of the hundreds of movies released every year, and although the system by which they end up there is riven with biases and blind spots, on balance, the movies that end up there are better than the ones that don’t, and their limited runs create a sense of occasion and urgency that the boundless availability of streaming can’t match.” – Slate