Alfonso Ribeiro Suing ‘Fortnite’ And ‘NBA 2K’ Creators For Allegedly Stealing His Iconic ‘Carlton Dance’
The popular video game Fortnite has introduced the world to a slew of new dance moves, but there’s one that’s supposedly been around for a while, and its creator isn’t getting any credit for it.
In a new report from TMZ, Alfonso Ribeiro, who portrayed Carlton Banks in the 1990s sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air, has filed a lawsuit against the wildly popular multi-player game’s developer Epic Games, claiming that the company has created a new dance for its characters that replicates Ribeiro’s iconic Carlton Dance that he created for his character.
In the court documents obtained by the news outlet, Alfonso says that a Fortnite dance move released on January 2, 2018, called the “Fresh” emote is a copy of the same move he performed throughout the television series. The Carlton Dance’s choreography includes him swinging his arms wildly in the air while shuffling his feet, and the “Fresh” emote has pretty much the same moves.
Alfonso also stated in the lawsuit that he is in the middle of copyrighting the dance.
“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,” Alfonso’s attorney David Hecht said.
Alfonso Ribeiro Sues Fortnite Creators for Stealing His Carlton Dance https://t.co/at4xxGgGIn
— TMZ (@TMZ) December 17, 2018
“Epic has earned record profits off of downloadable content in the game, including emotes like ‘Fresh,'” Hecht continued. “Yet Epic has failed to compensate or even ask permission from Mr. Ribeiro for the use of his likeness and iconic intellectual property.”
Alfonso didn’t stop at Epic Games, either, as TMZ reported he has also filed an identical suit against 2K Games, the company behind the popular video game NBA 2K.
Alfonso Ribeiro is reportedly also suing the creators of NBA 2K, saying they stole the signature “Carlton Dance” https://t.co/bpXWQ4Nowh pic.twitter.com/iX2fN0Q0Vl
— Complex (@Complex) December 17, 2018
Both Fortnite and NBA 2K earn a considerable amount of profit off of microtransactions, which are in-game purchases. One of these purchases is for animations called “emotes,” which includes dance moves for the characters to perform. According to Variety, Alfonso’s attorney has said the actor is seeking his “fair and reasonable” share of profits that have been earned “by use of his iconic intellectual property” in the games, and has requested that his signature dance move no longer be featured in them.
Alfonso joins a list of celebrities that have lawsuits against both gaming companies for unauthorized use of dance moves in the game. Earlier this month, Brooklyn rapper 2 Milly filed a lawsuit against Epic Games claiming they replicated his dance move the “Milly Rock,” which he created for a music video in 2014, for Fortnite, calling it “Swipe It.” The rapper has also filed a complaint with the creators of NBA 2K for use of his dance move.
