Former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star, Alfonso Ribeiro, found a hit with his hilarious “Carlton Dance” on the popular sitcom, but now he is suing the makers of Fortnite and NBA 2K for stealing his dance for their game characters.
Ribeiro parlayed his kinetic dance into a cultural touchstone for a generation of Americans, but now he is claiming that Epic Games has ripped off his signature moves. Ribeiro cracked up audiences with his Carlton Dance for several years on the Will Smith-led sitcom, TMZ reported.
Ribeiro also performed his famous dance to great fanfare on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars in 2014.
The actor and TV host, though, now claims that the game makers have ripped him off with a downloadable dance for Fortnite characters that the game makers have called the “Fresh emote.” Ribeiro says the dance is an exact copy of his own moves.
Ribeiro’s lawsuit is nearly identical to the suit filed this month by 2 Milly who says Fortnite stole his “Milly Rock” 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,” Ribeiro’s lawyer, David Hecht, said.
Hecht added that Epic Games has made “record profits” from players downloading the dance but has failed to compensate Ribeiro for his intellectual property.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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