The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Alfonso Ribeiro accuses Fortnite of stealing the “Carlton” dance.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Ribeiro is suing Epic Games for allegedly using his signature “Carlton” dance without permission in Fortnite, a free, online third-person game. The game, among its other features, includes dances, one of which is called “Fresh” and is clearly inspired by the Fresh Prince character. Moreover, some would say that the music in the background is a take on singer Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual” the song that was originally played on the 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 lawyer David L. Hecht tells PEOPLE in a statement.
He continued: “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.”
“Therefore, 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,” the statement concluded.
And if you need a reminder of the epic “Carlton” dance, check it out below:
