Hello, everyone!
I am a former allstar and college cheerleader (from before allstar teams competed on spring floors...if that gives you any idea of just how "former"!) and I am looking to the cheer community for help!
I am a law student working on a project that examines the merits of granting copyright protection to allstar cheer choreography. Allstar cheerleading is becoming a form of entertainment...the costumes! The intricate choreography! The fandom! I don't think we are far away from having teams or gyms go on tour (think: post-Olympics gymnastics tours) after Worlds. Allstar routines are similar to some things (gymnastics, dance, variety performances like Cirque), yet unlike anything else when all their elements are combined-- that is after all why we love them, right?
As a coach and choreographer, I can't tell you how much it hurts when you share an idea with someone only to have it stolen, or when you work hard to come up with something creative for a routine and then a year later you see it everywhere. It might be flattering, sure, but I think cheerleading choreographers and the teams that work hard to master their routines deserve some protections against unlicensed/unauthorized duplications.
Please weigh in and let me know your thoughts-- good and bad-- on this idea. Every opinion helps! Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thanks so much for reading.
-Copyright4Cheer?
I am a former allstar and college cheerleader (from before allstar teams competed on spring floors...if that gives you any idea of just how "former"!) and I am looking to the cheer community for help!
I am a law student working on a project that examines the merits of granting copyright protection to allstar cheer choreography. Allstar cheerleading is becoming a form of entertainment...the costumes! The intricate choreography! The fandom! I don't think we are far away from having teams or gyms go on tour (think: post-Olympics gymnastics tours) after Worlds. Allstar routines are similar to some things (gymnastics, dance, variety performances like Cirque), yet unlike anything else when all their elements are combined-- that is after all why we love them, right?
As a coach and choreographer, I can't tell you how much it hurts when you share an idea with someone only to have it stolen, or when you work hard to come up with something creative for a routine and then a year later you see it everywhere. It might be flattering, sure, but I think cheerleading choreographers and the teams that work hard to master their routines deserve some protections against unlicensed/unauthorized duplications.
Please weigh in and let me know your thoughts-- good and bad-- on this idea. Every opinion helps! Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thanks so much for reading.
-Copyright4Cheer?
