Rapper ‘2 Milly’ Says Epic Games Stole His Signature Move and Made It into a Fortnite Emote
Though Fortnite is absolutely dominating the gaming industry, recently boasting over 8 million players, and winning big at the recent Golden Joystick Awards, not everything is smooth sailing as of late. Rapper ‘2 Milly’ has told CBS that he plans on taking legal action against Epic Games for allegedly stealing his signature move and making it into the popular and purchasable Fortnite “Swipe it” emote.
Brooklyn rapper ‘2 Milly’ says his signature move titled the “Milly Rock” had been circulating the internet before Epic Games ever brought the “Swipe it” emote to Fortnite. Just a few months ago, back in July 2018, Chance The Rapper first highlighted the issue, taking to Twitter to state the following, “Fortnite should put the actual rap songs behind the dances that make so much money as Emotes. Black creatives created and popularized these dances but never monetized them. Imagine the money people are spending on these Emotes being shared with the artists that made them.” As such the rapper has stated he intends on suing Epic Games for using it in their popular battle royale title. Here’s what he has to say on the matter, “Everybody was just like, ‘Yo, your dance is in the game,’ they actually sell that particular move. It’s for purchase. That’s when I really was like…oh nah, this can’t go on too long.” If you’re unsure about which emote is under fire here, you can check it out below.
As such the rapper is now looking for legal advice in the hopes of filing a lawsuit against Epic Games for this alleged theft of his dance move. As it stands however, this may not be as easy as it sounds. According to business and entertainment lawyer Merlyne Jean-Louis a lawsuit of this kind will not be straightforward. “There’s a lot of case lawsuits surrounding the copyright of music. Lyrics. Sounds. There’s a full body of case law related to that. But regarding choreographic works, that does not exist.” 2 Milly clarified that he won’t be suing Fortnite for “all the millions” however he wants to “protect what’s mine.”
So far Epic Games has yet to release a comment on the matter. What do you think about this controversy? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to keep it locked for updates in the comments below.