The rise of Fortnite over the past year has provided Epic Games with much success, but it has not come without a few bumps in the road. Most notably, many people have been going after the developers of the massively popular battle royale title with lawsuits over the emotes featured in the game. One such person is Alfonso Ribeiro, who portrayed Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. However, a new update in the case may result in Ribeiro not getting the Victory Royale he might have hoped for.
According to a recent report from TMZ, the U.S. Copyright Office has informed Ribeiro’s lawyer that the actor’s attempt to copyright the “Carlton” dance is being denied, and that it is nothing more than a “simple dance routine.”
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In addition to this, the registration specialist with the Copyright Office stated that “The combination of these three dance steps is a simple routine that is not registrable as a choreographic work.”
Ribeiro’s attorney told TMZ back in December that “It is widely recognized that Mr. Ribeiro’s likeness and intellectual property have been misappropriated by Epic Games in the most popular video game currently in the world, Fortnite.” He went on to say how the developers have massive profits from the in-game items, including the “Fresh” emote. “Yet Epic has failed to compensate or even ask permission from Mr. Ribeiro for the use of his likeness and iconic intellectual property,” he added.
This, of course, isn’t the only lawsuit against Epic Games and their popular battle royale title. Rapper 2 Milly, the first to file such a suit, is going after the developer over the “Swipe It” emote. Additionally, BlocBoy JB is suing over the “Hype” emote as is the mother of Orange Shirt Kid for the “Orange Justice” emote.
The lawsuit between Ribeiro and Epic Games is still active, but we imagine the denial by the U.S. Copyright Office will not benefit the Fresh Prince star. If the case goes to court, however, it’s not looking good for Ribeiro.
What do you think about all of this? Are any of the celebrities going after Fortnite going to win their cases? Sound off in the comment section below, or hit me up over on Twitter @anarkE7!
Thanks, Dexerto!
