In his suit aimed at Epic Games, the Carlton Banks depicter on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' claims that the Fresh emote in the game is very similar to his famous dance moves.
- December 18, 2018
AceShowbiz - Actor Alfonso Ribeiro is launching a lawsuit against the creators of popular game Fortnite over the use of his famous "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" dance.
The star is suing bosses at Epic Games, claiming they used The Carlton Dance, which was named after his TV character Carlton Banks, in the game without his permission.
According to The Blast, the dance is called the Fresh emote in Fortnite, but it is very similar to Ribeiro's moves.
"The reaction from many players worldwide was immediate recognition of the emote as embodying The Dance and, in turn, Ribeiro," the lawsuit reads. "Indeed, by naming the emote Fresh, Epic intentionally induced a direct connection between the in-game purchase and the show where The Dance started, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". That connection implied an endorsement of that in-game purchase by Ribeiro."
Ribeiro is currently in the process of copyrighting The Carlton Dance and is seeking unspecified damages in his lawsuit.
He is the second star to sue over Fortnite's dance routines - rapper 2 Milly recently filed suit too, claiming his viral "Milly Rock" dance was stolen and renamed "Swipe It" for use in the game, in which players can purchase various moves for their killer characters.
