Is Fortnite being sued? Alfonso Ribeiro and Backpack Kid sue over stolen dances
Fortnite is currently the most popular video game in the world
FORTNITE creators are being sued by yet more people who claim their famous dance moves have been stolen for the game’s characters.
The latest people to launch legal action are actor Alfonso Ribeiro and ‘Backpack Kid’ Russell Horning.
Why is Alfonso Ribeiro suing the Fortnite creators?
Alfonso Ribeiro played Carlton in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and was famous for his signature dance style.
He is suing Epic Games over the 'Fresh' dance being used in Fortnite.
The emote bears a striking resemblance to the goofy shuffle Ribeiro performed repeatedly on the show, which ran from 1990 to 1996.
The 47-year-old former Fresh Prince star has filed a suit against Epic Games claiming the company completely ripped off Carlton’s famous dance moves.
The lawsuit claims the video game creators are effectively profiting from the “intellectual property”.
Ribeiro even performed a version of the dance on Dancing With The Stars -- the American answer to Strictly -- on his way to claiming the title back in 2014.
According to the report, Ribeiro claims he is actually in the middle of attempting to copyright the Carlton dance.
He’s also not the first personality to sue the Fortnite creators. An almost identical suit was filed earlier this month by US rapper 2 Milly for the same reason.
Why is Backpack Kid suing?
Teenager Russell Horning shot to fame for sparking the "flossing" dance craze.
He is now suing Fortnite's creators claiming they stole his moves for their characters.
Horning, known as "the Backpack kid", became a worldwide sensation last year when he performed the dance on US TV show Saturday Night Live with Katy Perry.
The 16-year-old had already gained social media stardom by posting quirky clips of himself flossing on Instagram.
But a lawsuit filed by his mum Anetta claims game developers Epic Games stole the dance from him.
The Floss emote was introduced as a reward in the Season 2 Battle Royale version of Fortnite.
Also named in the lawsuit is Take Two Interactive - makers of basketball game NBA 2k - which also allows players to perform the dance.
The suit claims that both companies are unfairly profiting from use of the dance move.
Dancing is protected under US copyright laws as long as the composition is original and has been recorded on film owned by the copyright holder.
MORE FORTNITE NEWS
What is Fortnite?
Fortnite is currently the most popular video game in the world.
Fortnite's Battle Royale mode, in which 100 online players are put in a battle field to fight until death until one player remains, is the most successful part.
Technically, Fortnite is set in a dystopian world where 98% of Earth's population suddenly disappears, living conditions become difficult, and zombie-like creatures roam the Earth - the player is among the remaining 2% whose job it is to survive.
After the apocalypse, "survivor bases" were set-up and each player is in charge of looking after these bases before trying to find a way to return Earth to normal.
Those form the centrepiece of the story for the co-operative Save The World mode, but play not part in the free-to-play Battle Royale mode.
The video game welcomes players aged 12 and above and is available to play on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, as well as PC and Mac.
It is also available to play on Android mobile devices.