Alfonso Ribeiro Sues Epic for Using the Carlton Dance in 'Fortnite'
It's no secret that Epic has patterned many of Fortnite's dance emotes on real-world moves, but that's increasingly landing the game studio in hot water. Mere weeks after rapper 2 Milly sued Epic (and 2K) for allegedly duping the Milly Rock, Alfonso Ribeiro has filed his own lawsuit accusing the developer of copying Carlton's signature dance from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Ribiero's attorney told TMZ that Epic mimicked the "iconic" swaying through its Fresh emote without asking permission or offering compensation. The TV star is in the midst of copyrighting the dance.
We've asked Epic for comment.
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Whether or not the lawsuit prevails will depend on whether or not Ribeiro can lay claim before the copyright process wraps up. With that said, there's no doubt that it's the Carlton dance (as if the name alone wasn't a giveaway) -- it even uses music reminiscent of Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual." If the lawsuit does move forward, there's a real chance you'll either see a settlement or a relatively brief court battle.
