Stolen Dances Make Black Creators Fight For Credit And Copyright

Break dancing in the streets
Via Pxhere
Shiavon Chatman
October 7, 2021

White people keep stealing and profiting off our dance moves. Sick of seeing their work white washed, choreographers and content creators are doing something about it! Some creators chose to boycott. Some keep demanding credit. But there’s a new option: getting their moves copyrighted!

Asking for credit often falls on uncaring ears, and the law is slow. Frequently, copyright lawyers deny claims, perhaps because they don't understand the significance of the issue. What to do?

Choreographer JaQuel Knight figured out a way to take back his power and the rights to his work. He created a company that made him the first choreographer to OWN the rights to his dance routines! There’s another option, too.

Since copyright law hasn’t kept up with ever-evolving technology, creatives need options. Clocr is a site that allows users to upload their content – and provides them with an official timestamp as proof they created it. 

Intellectual Property pro David Pellum II says this site is huge – because even without a legal copyright, its sufficient evidence for creators to prove they invented a dance.

We can't rely on the laws to make sure we get credit and compensation for our work. But Black entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to work around the law and get our due!

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