Carlton From The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Is Suing The Creators Of Fortnite For Using The Carlton Dance In Their Game
USA TODAY- Alfonso Ribeiro is suing the makers of “Fortnite” over the use of a dance the actor made popular on the TV series “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” According to a copy of the complaint obtained by USA TODAY, Ribeiro alleges Epic Games used his dance under the name “Fresh,” which players could then purchase to customize their characters in “Fortnite.”
The complaint said although the dance is “misleadingly labeled” in the game, players instantly recognize is as “The Carlton Dance,” named after Ribeiro’s character in “The Fresh Prince.” “Epic has earned record profits off of downloadable content in the game, including emotes like ‘Fresh,'” said Ribeiro’s attorney David Hecht in a statement. “Yet Epic has failed to compensate or even ask permission from Mr. Ribeiro for the use of his likeness and iconic intellectual property.”
Get that paper Alfonso Carlton! I gotta be honest, I didn’t know you could sue someone for using a dance that you did in a TV show more than 20 years ago without having that shit copyrighted to the moon and back. But Carlton Banks is going to try whatever is necessary to wet the beak in Fortnite’s ocean of money and I don’t blame him one bit. Can you imagine being coworkers with someone like Will Smith only to watch him become a zillionaire and marry Jada Pinkett while you
*Checks IMDB*
do nothing but cash your royalty checks over the years after getting a taste of that Bel-Air life back in the 90s? It must be soul crushing. Which is why I have no problem with Carlton trying to cash in on a virtual dance teenagers do after they kill Smitty on Twitch. Fortnite clearly knew what they were doing by naming that dance the “Fresh” dance, which is jussssst close enough to the source material without breaking any laws. I believe they call that pulling a Portnoy in the biz. However the one thing the creators of Fortnite forgot was that you never try to profit off of someone that goes on Dancing With The Stars to reignite their career’s flame, which is the 2nd-to-last resort behind a VH1 reality show. If there is a God, Carlton will have his day in court and actually perform The Carlton Dance in front of a judge, who will then have to compare it to the Fresh Dance from Fortnite.
While the people at Epic Games use the Vanilla Ice defense.
And a judge will have to decide whether or not significant monetary compensation is due. What a potential landmark day for the United States legal system!