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Can I stop people from videotaping the end of year concert in which students perform my choreography?
15/06/2008
Permission from the copyright owner is needed to film choreography. Therefore, if you own copyright in a piece of choreography, you can decide whether or not you will permit videos of it to be made. Even if you do not own copyright, if you have organised the concert, you may be able to prohibit filming within the hall or theatre, or make it a condition of entry that the performance not be filmed. This is unrelated to rights under copyright law.
Note that a licence may be required from the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners’ Society (AMCOS) to film a performance if the music accompanying the performance will also be recorded. This licence is in addition to the venue’s licence from the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) for the public performance of the music.
You should also get permission from the dancers to film the performance, as they have separate rights under the Copyright Act as performers.