Video Games: Epic Games Faces Another Dance Move Lawsuit
Epic Games is being hit with yet another lawsuit for another emote using some allegedly stolen dance moves.
Epic Games is finding itself facing a brand new lawsuit after YouTuber and choreographer Kyle Hanagami claimed that the “It’s Complicated” emote used in Fortnite is lifted from one of his dances.
Details of the Fortnight Dance Suit
The video of the dance, choreographed by Hanagami in 2017 to “How Long” by Charlie Puth, has nearly 36 million views on Youtube. His complaint was filed on Tuesday in federal court for the Central District of California. In it he claims that Epic Games copied the “hook” of his dance in the “It’s Complicated” without his permission.
To prove his claim, Hanagami and his lawyers created a video comparing the Hanagami’s dance to the one used in Fortnite. You can judge the similarities for yourself, but it’s hard to deny that they look virtually identical. In addition to this video, the official Fornite Wiki states that the dance is based on Hanagami’s.
It’s hard to guess who will win this suit. Copyright law can be tricky and complex. And in this case the dance progresses in a way unique from Hanagami’s chorography.
Epic Games Has Done This Before
And of course, this is far from Epic Games’ fist dance move lawsuit. In 2018 rapper 2 Milly sued the company for appropriating his “Milly Rock” dance. Russell Horning took legal action against Epic Games for using the dance move we would all later come to know as “flossing”. Fresh Prince star Alfonso Ribeiro even claimed that Fortnite was using the “Carlton Dance” without permission.
And it seems those cases were all fruitless as a Supreme Court decision caused them to be withdrawn. Hanagami’s case may be different, though. Unlike the previous three dancers, he has a copyright on the dance in question.
At this point it’s impossible to know if Hanagami will win his case or not. And based on how quietly the others were swept away, we may not hear about the outcome when it happens.
“It’s Complicated”
The “It’s Complicated” emote debuted in Fortnite in August 2020 and is an emote that can be purchased in game. Hanagami’s lawsuit asks for a court order which would prevent the fame from using the emote anymore in addition to unknown compensation for damages.
Fortnite is a popular survival and battle royale style game for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. It, like Hanagami’s dance, was first released in 2017. It has been nominated for or won more than forty awards over the years with millions of players and billions of dollars worth of profit. Fortnite is easily one of the most popular video games on the market today.
Kyle Hanagami is an LA based choreographer who has created dances for Britney Spears, NSync, and Justin Beiber. He’s also partnered with large brands like Nike, Disney, and Calvin Klein – but not Fortnite. And of course, you can see his dances on his YouTube channel.
Who do you think will win this lawsuit? Do you have a favorite Fortnite emote? Is is based on a famous dance you recognize? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Adventuring!
