‘Fresh Prince’ Star Alfonso Ribeiro Drops Lawsuit Against ‘Fortnite’
Alfonso Ribeiro has withdrawn his lawsuit against Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite, over the in-game dance move that mimicked his iconic “Carlton Dance.”
Alfonso Ribeiro has voluntarily dropped his lawsuit against the maker of Fortnite for using his dance https://t.co/Ggc73Vb2F4
— Vulture (@vulture) March 8, 2019
The Fresh Prince star filed a lawsuit one year ago against Epic Games for “unauthorized use” of his signature move in Fortnite.
Ribeiro’s case hit a bit of a snag when his attempt to trademark the dance was refused by the U.S. Copyright Office. Dance moves aren’t generally seen as trademarkable, but the name of those moves can be though.
This isn’t the first time that a celebrity took legal action against the company. Rapper 2 Milly sued Epic for allegedly using his “Milly Rock” dance.
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Ribeiro intends to refile his suit, and if he were to win against Epic, it would set a precedent about pop culture references in the video game industry.