Fresh Prince Actor Sues Video Game For Stealing Dance

The only scenario where I wouldn’t be embarrassed to label myself as a “gamer” is if my eighth birthday was around the corner and my mom just bought a brand new Jeff Gordon comforter for my Jeff Gordon Nascar replica bed frame. I don’t hate video games, I just don’t believe it should be voiced as a headlining attribute when people who play Candy Crush way more than they should introduce themselves. But here we are. 2018. Everyone is either hooked on opioids or Fortnite. And the dealers of both are getting rich. But the people pushing the third-person shooter are running into a problem. A lawsuit to be exact. When rap artist 2 Milly realized that his invented dance move he’s claiming to be intellectual property was being monetized for sale in Fortnite without permission or a paycheck, he decided to sue. Both Alfonso Ribeiro and Russell “backpack kid” Horning decided to sue as well since their dances were also available in the game.

Alfonso Ribeiro, best known for playing Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” is suing the creators of the blockbuster video game “Fortnite” over claims they stole his famous Carlton dance moves without permission. The actor alleges the “Fresh emote” dance performed by characters in the Fortnite video game is a direct rip off of his “Fresh Prince” dance moves.

A lawyer for Ribeiro has filed the lawsuit against “Fortnite” company Epic Games, claiming the dance moves are the actor’s “intellectual property.” Attorney David Hecht told NBC in a statement, “Epic has earned record profits off of downloadable content in the game, including emotes like ‘Fresh.’ Yet Epic has failed to compensate or even ask permission from Mr. Ribeiro for the use of his likeness and iconic intellectual property.”

According to CNN, the lawsuit states, “Twenty-seven years later, The Dance remains distinctive, immediately recognizable, and inextricably linked to Ribeiro’s identity, celebrity, and likeness.”

This lawsuit could open the floodgates. Do you know how much money I would owe the creators of the Hokey Pokey and Macarena if a ruling favorable for artists in court is retroactive?

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