Cha-Cha Real Smooth
College basketball players Jaylen Brantley and Jared Nickens sued Fortnite over the inclusion of their famous “running man dance” that had gone viral some time ago. This suit has been in the various processes of the legal system for ages and it was finally thrown out of court today by a judge. The judge had come to the conclusion that the emote in Fornite was not similar enough to which was shown in the video of Brantly and Nickens dancing.
Another argument that was pushed forward by the judge was that the Running Man dance did not meet the requirements to be considered protected by copyright laws. The verdict has by no means shocked anyone as the likelihood that this would even be taken seriously was slim to none. There has been a multitude of similar cases against video game companies and developers and they have almost never been successful.
Just this year a lawsuit between Humvee and Call of Duty was thrown out of court for almost the same reasons. Not to mention that large companies like Infinity Ward and Epic Games can afford the best lawyers that money can buy. If you are going to come to large corporations then you better have a good case.
While Fortnite has not lost any money over this case at all it is likely that they will probably be more careful in the future in order to save themselves a headache. The game does not exactly have the greatest reputation right now regardless of legal scandals. Fortnite dances are one of the most recognizable features of the title and it would be a massive blow to the game and community if some had to be removed for whatever reason. But until that happens were are still probably going to see people flossing until they pass out.