3 Count: Choreography Appeal

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1: Choreography Copyright Case Against ‘Fortnite’ Maker Epic Games Rebooted With First-of-Its-Kind Ruling

First off today, Bill Donahue at Billboard reports that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned the dismissal of a lawsuit over Fortnite dance poses, kicking the case back to the lower court for a closer examination.

The lawsuit was filed by choreographer Kyle Hanagami against Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite. According to Hanagami, the game used several dances that he created as “emotes”, constituting a copyright infringement. However, the lower court dismissed the case, arguing that the individual poses could not be protected by copyright.

However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has now overturned that dismissal, saying that choreography does qualify for copyright protection and a broader analysis is needed. In comparing choreography to music, the Appeals Court found that music could be seen as just a series of unprotectable notes, similar to how choreography is a series of unprotectable poses.

2: Georgia’s Two Biggest Illegal Streaming Sites Get Shut Down by Anti-Piracy Body Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment

Next up today, Elsa Keslassy at Variety reports that the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is celebrating the closure of two pirate streaming websites based in the country of Georgia.

The two sites, adjaranet.com and imovies.cc both ranked among the top ten most popular websites in the country. Their closure came about after ACE worked with Georgia’s Ministry of Finance, as well as other parts of the Georgian government.

According to ACE, both of the sites were for-profit ventures that harmed the local film industry by offering free access to local works. The takedown comes just days after ACE secured the removal of the Indian website, watchwrestling.ai, which was well known for illegal sports streaming.

3: ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ Copyright Lawsuit Refiled Against Mariah Carey, Seeks $20 Million

Finally today, Dessi Gomez at The Wrap reports that musician Andy Stone, who performs under the name Vince Vance, has filed a lawsuit against Mariah Carey and others involved with Carey’s 1994 hit single All I want for Christmas is You.

According to the lawsuit, Stone released a song with the same name in 1989, which received “extensive airplay” in 1993. He alleges that Carey and others infringed his work when creating her song, which would go on to be a staple of holiday music.

Stone filed a nearly identical lawsuit last year, one that also sought $20 million in damages. He dismissed the lawsuit himself; however, others had noted that the two songs, despite the identical titles, had little else in common. Carey nor her label has responded to the complaint.

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