Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: Alfonso Ribeiro, Carlton Dance, Fortnite

Fortnite Dance Update: Alfonso Ribeiro Denied Copyright on Carlton Dance

The latest chapter of the whole Fortnite dance saga will have some Fresh Prince fans sad, as Alfonso Ribeiro was denied copyright on the Carlton Dance. The entire argument over dancing came from the fact that several artists felt Epic Games was making a profit off their moves and not paying royalties, which led to the discussion of who really owns a dance, especially when most of these dances don't have proper copyrights on them. Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, created the move known as the Carlton Dance on the show, which people have known and imitated for years since. When everyone started going after Epic Games over dances, Ribeiro jumped on board to copyright his dance.

Sadly, his application was rejected, with an agent within the U.S. Copyright Office's performing arts division named Saskia Florence noting the reasoning behind her decision.

"The dancer sways their hips as they step from side to side, while swinging their arms in an exaggerated manner. In the second dance step, the dancer takes two steps to each side while opening and closing their legs and their arms in unison. In the final step, the dancer's feet are still and they lower one hand from above their head to the middle of their chest while fluttering their fingers. The combination of these three dance steps is a simple routine that is not registrable as a choreographic work."

We'll see how similar dances hold up as people scramble to try and sue the Fortnite creators for using dances in the game, but for now, it appears you can keep on doing the Carlton.

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