Another lawsuit over its dance emote has now hit Epic Games, this time over the ‘It’s Complicated’ Fortnite emote, which according to the plaintiff choreographer, Kyle Hanagamy, is his original work and has been copied by Epic Game move for move.
In a video uploaded to YouTube titled ‘Fortnite Infringement of Kyle Hanagami Choreography’ by David Hecht, a partner at Hecht Partners, there is a side-by-side comparison of Kyle Hanagami dancing to Charlie Puth’s “How Long,” and the Fortnite emote and they are very similar.
This is not the first lawsuit against Fortnite emotes
Now whether or not this goes in Kyle Hanagami’s favor is something that isn’t clear yet, as such lawsuits have been filed in the past but never won in court due to copyright laws.
LegalEagle, a popular YouTuber and Lawyer, broke down three such lawsuits filed by 2 Milly, the Backpack Kid (who created the popular dance called the “Floss”) and Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (which also starred Will Smith as the main character) and his iconic dance on that show were also copied by Epic Games. LegalEagle also broke down why these lawsuits would not work (and he ended up being right).
All that being said, it’s unethical for Epic Games to profit from these emotes without taking permission from the artists who’ve created them. Hanagami and the firm representing them are asking for a court order to stop the ‘It’s Complicated’ emote from being used in Fortnite, legal fees, and an unspecified amount in damages.
What are your thoughts about lawsuit against Epic Games for Fortnite dance emote? Let is know in the comments below!
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