Cha-Cha Real Smooth
College basketball players Jaylen Brantley and Jared Nickens have sued Fortnite for the inclusion of their famous “running man dance” which went viral some time ago. This lawsuit has been part of the various processes of the legal system for ages and was finally dismissed today by a judge. The judge had come to the conclusion that the Fornite emote was not similar enough to what was shown in the video of Brantly and Nickens dancing.
Another argument made by the judge was that the Running Man dance did not meet the requirements to be considered protected under copyright laws. The verdict did not shock anyone in any way, as the likelihood of it even being taken seriously was minimal. There have been a slew of similar cases against video game companies and developers and they have almost never been successful.
This year, a lawsuit between Humvee and Call of Duty was dismissed out of court for almost the same reasons. Not to mention that big companies like Infinity Ward and Epic Games can afford the best lawyers money can buy. If you're going to come to big corporations, you better get a good deal.
Although Fortnite didn't lose any money in this case, it's likely that they'll probably be more cautious in the future in order to save themselves a headache. The game doesn't exactly have the greatest reputation right now, regardless of legal scandals. Fortnite dances are one of the title's most recognizable features and it would be a huge blow to the game and the community if some were to be removed for any reason. But until that happens, people will likely floss until they pass out.
Source.
