If you follow Fortnite news regularly, you probably are aware that a number of celebrities have taken legal action against Epic Games. Some of the aggrieved parties include Alfonso Ribeiro and 2 Milly. Now, rapper BlocBoy JB is suing the company as well.
BlocBoy JB is Taking Epic Games to Court Over the Hype emote
As with the other parties mentioned above, BlocBoy JB is upset over an emote. The emote in question is “Hype.” BlocBoy JB alleges that it is based on his “shoot” dance, and that Epic Games is using it without his permission.
You can see the tweet which he posted on this issue below:
The text in the tweet reads, “EveryTime Somebody Does My Dance Dey Give Credit to @FortniteGame But Dey Ain’t Create Nothing But Da Game So Basically Dey Takin Money And Credit For My S**t Dats Craz.”
Dextero reports that, “While he considered suing the company later on in December, it appears that BlocBoy has decided to move forward with the suit – along with a number of other celebs.”
As of right now, it is hard to say what will happen with these lawsuits. There is no established copyright protection for dance moves. But with so many celebrities taking action against Epic Games, that might change moving forward. Whatever happens with these cases will establish an important precedent. That will impact more than the future of Fortnite. It will also influence how companies and individuals can use dance moves in other contexts.
To follow along with the latest legal developments in this and similar cases, be sure and keep up with our Fortnite news page.