"Fortnite's" dance emotes are probably among the biggest contributors to its popularity. But it's also among the major reasons why this massively popular battle royale game is being sued.
As of today, the game has been sued anew for allegedly copied choreography in the It's Complicated emote. According to GameSpot, the plaintiff is pro choreographer Kyle Hanagami, who says that "Fortnite" copied the first section of a dance routine he showcased in a video from way back in 2017.
Here is Hanagami's video compared side by side to the aforementioned "Fortnite" dance emote, courtesy of YouTuber David Hecht:
As you can see in the video, the dance emote does look downright identical to that of Hanagami's routine. This was made evident in numerous slowed-down instances, where the moves barely differentiated from each other-including those of the arms, legs, and head.
As per Hanagami's lawsuit, Epic allegedly did not credit him or even seek his consent to "use, display, reproduce, sell, or create a derivative work" based on his choreography which has been considered Registered Choreography. This distinction is made apparent in the video shared above, complete with a copyright registration number.
The plaintiff is also not just a no-name choreographer, so Epic Games likely cannot underestimate this lawsuit. Hanagami has actually made a name for himself working with a host of A-list celebrities, including Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and even NSYNC, to name a few, writes Kotaku.
The choreography featured in Hanagami's video and allegedly in the first part of "Fortnite's" It's Complicated Emote was created to the song "How Long" by Charlie Puth. Epic Games released the emote three years after the choreography was featured in the "How Long" dance video, which has now earned 35.7 million views on YouTube:
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Why This Could Be Different From Other 'Fortnite' Dance Emote Lawsuits
"Fortnite" and Epic Games are both no strangers to lawsuits alleging that dance emotes in the battle royale game were copied.
Among the most infamous ones is 2019's Orange Shirt Kid case. The mother of the aforementioned Orange Shirt Kid, Rachel McCumbers, filed a lawsuit which alleged that Epic wrongfully used her son's move in the game without permission. The aforementioned dance move was called "The Random," and was actually one of the most famous "Fortnite" dances to date.
That lawsuit, however, didn't pan out that much. The lawsuit was eventually dropped in March of 2019, because it was determined that they can't sue due to a lack of a registration granted by the US Copyright Office.
But this lawsuit by Hanagami could be a different story, since he actually has a copyright for the dance moves, writes Polygon. For now, the only potential issues with it are the dance moves that follow Hanagami's alleged "hook," which weren't created by him.
Related Article: 'Fortnite' Has Finally Moved To Unreal Engine 5--What Can Fans Expect?
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by RJ Pierce
