Millionaire fitness guru's trainer has the last laugh after her former boss SUED her for stealing choreography from cult workout classes
A former employee of celebrity fitness coach Tracy Anderson has scored a major court victory after being accused of 'stealing' her choreography to start a rival business.
Megan Roup, an LA-based trainer behind The Sculpt Society (TSS), won her legal battle against her former boss earlier this month, ending a bitter copyright feud nearly three years in the making, according to court records obtained by the Daily Mail.
In 2022, Anderson accused Roup of copying elements from her TA Method choreography - specifically 19 of her dance-cardio DVDs - to launch her own workout platform.
Roup’s team argued that Anderson’s fitness empire is a results-driven system, not creative choreography, and therefore cannot be copyrighted.
On February 17, Roup emerged triumphant as the Ninth Circuit slammed the door on Anderson’s copyright claims, warning that granting them would give someone a monopoly over basic fitness routines.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Roup's lawyer, Nathaniel Bach, Partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, said: 'We are grateful for the Ninth Circuit’s ruling affirming Megan’s and The Sculpt Society’s copyright win.'
'The panel’s ruling validates what we have maintained all along - that fitness belongs to everyone and cannot be restricted through misuse of the copyright laws,' he added.
After the ruling, Anderson's counsel, Stanley Panikowski at DLA Piper LLP, said that the court's 'narrow decision does not concern the vast majority of Tracy’s choreography,' according to The Fashion Law.
Megan Roup (pictured), former employee of celebrity fitness coach Tracy Anderson and trainer behind The Sculpt Society (TSS), won her legal battle against her former boss earlier this month
Anderson has worked with countless celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured), Jennifer Lopez and Alessandra Ambrosio
He added that his client has 'advanced and evolved,' her routines throughout the years and 'will continue to advocate for choreographers regardless of whether their works are performed on a stage, in a music video or in a fitness studio.'
In 2017, after parting ways with Anderson, Roup launched TSS, or The Sculpt Society, an app that blends sculpting and toning exercises with easy-to-follow dance cardio - no equipment required - for a 'fun, effective workout,' the website reads.
The app took off immediately, winning fans among everyday fitness enthusiasts and Hollywood stars including Sofia Richie, Martha Hunt and Shanina Shaik.
'They’re not easy - after a 45-minute workout, I’m dripping sweat - but somehow Megan makes it fun. She’s like a modern-day Jane Fonda,' member Chloe Anello said in a review for The Strategist.
'Best of all, though? I now also have the pop-star-type confidence that comes from feeling really good about myself in a way 13-year-old me would be proud of,' she added.
Her rising fame, however, drew the attention of Anderson, whose companies filed the suit against Roup and TSS in the Central District of California.
The 'fitness pioneer' wasn’t just suing for copyright infringement - Anderson also went after Roup for breach of contract, unfair competition and violations of the Lanham Act, according to court documents.
Anderson launched the Tracy Anderson Method, or TA Method, in 2006 - a signature program combining choreography, cardio and full-body fitness routines.
Roup (pictured) won the battle, with Ninth Circuit tossing Anderson’s copyright claims and warning that granting them would give someone a monopoly over basic fitness routines
Anderson, founder of the Tracy Anderson Method, or TA Method, accused Roup of copying elements from choreography of 19 of her dance-cardio DVDs to launch a rival workout platform
Anderson's counsel, Stanley Panikowski (pictured), said his client 'will continue to advocate for choreographers regardless of whether their works are performed on a stage, in a music video or in a fitness studio'
Anderson launched the Tracy Anderson Method, or TA Method, in 2006 - a signature program combining choreography, cardio and full-body fitness routines
She claims her method 'can give anyone - regardless of their genetic shape - strong, lean muscles and create balance where there is imbalance in their body,' according to her website.
'Tracy has helped countless celebrities transform their bodies, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Alessandra Ambrosio, Victoria Beckham, Nicole Richie, Robert Downey Jr, Olivia Palermo, Hilary Rhoda, and even Miss Piggy,' it reads.
In the complaint, Anderson claimed she held copyright registrations for 19 of her fitness videos, which she alleged Roup had access to during the six years she worked for her.
Anderson alleged that some of Roup’s TSS videos copied 'the choreography movements, sequences and routines' from her own fitness videos without permission.
Beyond choreography, she claimed that some TSS videos stole the 'organizational structure, format and aesthetic elements' depicted in her past workout DVDs.
The defense quickly fired back, noting that the TA Method, by Anderson’s own description, is a results-driven fitness system and argued that it consists of unprotectable ideas, not copyrightable expression.
Roup’s team asked the court to dismiss the copyright claim, but it refused, saying it couldn’t yet compare the videos in detail to decide if any infringement occurred.
The court also noted that Anderson only provided three examples of alleged 'copying,' included no actual videos in her complaint, and many of her works are behind a paywall - making a thorough comparison nearly impossible at this stage.
Anderson alleged that some of Roup’s TSS videos copied 'the choreography movements, sequences and routines' from her own fitness videos without permission
Roup's (pictured) team argued that the TA Method, by Anderson’s own description, is a results-driven fitness system and argued that it consists of unprotectable ideas, not copyrightable expression
Anderson (pictured with Madonna) claimed that she held copyright registrations for 19 of her fitness videos, which she alleged Roup had access to during the six years she worked for her
In June 2024, the district court threw out Anderson’s copyright and breach-of-contract claims, ruling they had no legal basis and ending that part of the battle without a trial.
Earlier this month and over a year later, the Ninth Circuit officially upheld the lower court’s ruling, agreeing that Anderson’s copyright claims would be dismissed.
Relying on earlier case law, the court emphasized that copyright protects expression, not systems or processes, even if those systems involve dance.
In this case, the court noted that Anderson's workouts, though registered and labeled as choreography, were designed to deliver exercise results.
'Even if the routines in the DVDs could fit within some colloquial definitions of dance or choreography, it remains ineligible for copyright protection,' the panel of judges said.
Claims that Roup violated the Lanham Act, including accusations of false advertising, were likewise thrown out by the court.
In a biography on the TSS website, Roup wrote: 'I knew that there was something missing from the boutique fitness community, so I combined my passion for dance and love for fitness to create The Sculpt Society.'
'I spent years teaching fitness and developing The Sculpt Society method before launching in 2017,' she added.
Claims that Roup (pictured) violated the Lanham Act, including accusations of false advertising, were likewise thrown out by the court
Anderson argued that Roup breached confidentiality, taking her trade secrets to develop TSS, which she said competes head-to-head with the TA Method
The final claim alleging Roup violated the state’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL) was also tossed
In her filing, Anderson argued that the statements were false and misleading, claiming they suggested that Roup had developed her own method through years of scientific research and analysis.
She alleged that Roup implied her methods were completely different from Anderson’s, which Anderson said was false since many of Roup’s videos drew directly from the TA Method.
The court ultimately ruled that a reasonable consumer is unlikely to be swayed by 'general statements' about how Roup’s fitness program was developed.
Anderson’s final claim alleging Roup violated the state’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL) was also tossed.
The law 'prohibits any unlawful or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising.'
Anderson argued that Roup breached confidentiality, taking her trade secrets to develop TSS, which she said competes head-to-head with the TA Method.
The court's ruling argued that Anderson couldn’t show she personally relied on Roup’s alleged misleading statements - a must for competitors trying to sue under California’s UCL.
