JIPO not yet able to facilitate

CURTIS CAMPBELL, STAR Writer

Following arguments put forward by several of Jamaica's dancers that they want to be able to copyright their dance moves, the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) says dancers will have to wait a bit longer to have their prayers answered, as they (JIPO) are not yet able to fully accommodate such a copyright.

Dancer/choreographer Maria Hitchins, who spoke on behalf of the dancers at Dance Ja, disclosed that Jamaican dance moves were being stolen over the Internet and performed under a different title. She says, even though the foreign dance teachers were using dancehall dance moves, they did not refer to the dance moves as dancehall. Hitchins also encouraged dancers to be mindful of their YouTube upload if their dance choreographs weren't copyright protected.

"A lot of people have access to it, and you upload something this minute and somebody (from somewhere else in the world) takes the entire routine in less than seconds. They, in turn, perform it, video and re-post it on YouTube as their own. That's how brave they are," Hitchins said.

The choreographer implored dancers to make every attempt to copyright their dances, citing that it could be a financial generator if the right channels were used.

However, attorney-at-law Marissa Longsworth, who also operates as the manager of the copyrights and related rights directorate at JIPO, says the body is yet to fully facilitate that arm of the copyright act.

She says, when JIPO has successfully amended the copyright registration system, then choreography will be included in things that are allowed to be registered.

"Once they are on the registration system, they (dancers) will be issued a certificate of ownership and it can be used in the court to prove ownership or can be challenged. It can account for the distribution of royalties or can be assigned or transferred to others for work or for a price by the owner. Choreography is the bastard child of copyright in Jamaica, it does exist, but remains unknown to many," she said.

JIPO hopes, by the end of 2013, they will be able to actively accommodate choreography under the copyright laws. However, until then, she advises street dancers to use the Poor Man's Copyright method.

With this method, dancers can shoot a video of themselves doing the choreography, place the DVD in an envelope and post it to him or herself. In this case, the registered stamp will serve as proof of ownership.

She also noted that dancers can opt to sign up with international collecting agencies that are already accommodating choreography under their copyright roster.

The Electric Slide dance move was copy written by its creator Ric Silver in the '90s following its popularity, courtesy of reggae icon Marcia Griffiths, who performed his moves in her hit single Electric Boogie/Electric Slide.

'Once they are on the registration system, they (dancers) will be issued a certificate of ownership ..