Alfonso Ribeiro, the actor probably best known for playing Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and now the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos, is apparently joining in the fun suing Epic Games and Take-Two Interactive for ripping off his iconic “The Carlton” dance and stuffing it into Fortnite and the NBA 2K series.
“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,'” Ribeiro’s lawyers say. “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.” He is essentially seeking damages and a halt to the use of his dance.
Epic apparently declined to discuss the suit. Gamers will recall that rapper 2 Milly filed a similar suit over the use of his Milly Rock dance earlier in December, and according to Variety, Backpack Kid and his dance made famous by Katy Perry is pursuing Epic with a similar complaint.
You might think a lawsuit–obsessed company like Epic would understand why it’s not OK to cheat and steal, but hey, this is 2018.
