Former “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” star Alfonso Ribeiro is suing the creators of the video game “Fortnite,” accusing them of using his signature “Carlton dance” without permission or compensation, according to multiple reports.
American video game developer Epic Games owns “Fortnite,” which contains an animated dance that users can buy and download that Ribeiro’s lawyers say is based on his as the character Carlton on the 1990s sitcom, NBC New York reported. The downloadable dance, also called an “emote,” is called “Fresh.”
{mosads}”Epic has earned record profits off of downloadable content in the game, including emotes like ‘Fresh,'” Ribeiro’s attorney David Hecht said 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.”
The “Fresh” emote came out in January, Polygon reported.
“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,” Hecht added, according to NBC New York.
Ribeiro is reportedly seeking unspecified damages.
Terrance Ferguson, a rapper known as 2 Milly, also sued Epic Games for earlier this month for using his “Milly Rock” dance, Polygon reported.
Ferguson in his lawsuit’s filing accused Epic Games of “exploiting African-American talent … by copying their dances and movements.”