Fresh Prince star files lawsuit against Fortnite for using his Carlton dance

Posted Filed under

It’s not unusual to be loved by anyone… it’s not unusual to have fun with anyone… but it is somewhat unusual to see an actor from a 1990s sitcom popping up in the news to file a lawsuit against one of the most popular video games on the planet.

That is, however, exactly what’s happening right now: Alfonso Ribeiro, famed for his performance as Carlton in The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, has filed a suit against Epic (the makers of Fornite) for using the iconic ‘Carlton dance’ in their game without the actor’s permission.

An emote named ‘Fresh’ has been in the game since January, and Ribeiro has not been compensated or asked for permission. He is seeking unspecified damages and wishes for the emote to be removed.

Here’s a statement from David Hecht, the attorney representing Ribeiro:

“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. Mr. Ribeiro is seeking his fair and reasonable share of profits Epic has earned by use of his iconic intellectual property in ‘Fortnite’ and as a result is requesting through the courts that Epic cease all use of Mr. Ribeiro’s signature dance.”

If you’re wondering how similar the dances can be, here’s a side-by-side comparison, courtesy of Cinema Of Gaming:

As this story develops, we’ll be sure to bring you updates.

Source: The Hill