Annotation

The article examines the precedential foundations of choreographic work protection from a comparative legal perspective through two landmark nineteenth-century cases: “Perrot v. Petipa” (Tribunal civil de la Seine, 11 July 1862) and “Fuller v. Bemis” (U.S. Circuit Court, S.D.N.Y., 1892). The factual circumstances of the disputes, the legal positions adopted by the courts, and the criteria of copyrightability developed therein are analysed. The cases are shown to reflect the fundamental divergence between the continental (French) and Anglo-American models of copyright law in their approach to defining protectable subject matter. The principles established through these cases are formulated, preserving doctrinal relevance for contemporary copyright law, including in the context of Russian legislation.