The “Orange Shirt Kid” thrilled thousands of fans with his dance for Fortnite, leading the developers to incorporate his wild dance moves into the game. However, his mother is now suing Epic.
Here is the background: In April 2018, a video went viral in the Fortnite community. The “Orange Shirt Kid,” as fans affectionately called him, participated in a contest by Epic Games and wanted to showcase his dance in Fortnite.
The video starts with “I crap my pants when the dance comes to Fortnite.” But Epic chose other winners.
However, fans loved the kid and his dance. They petitioned Epic to implement this dance in the game. With success.
But now the mother of the boy is suing Epic Games, as they use the dance and do not mention the boy anywhere.
The lawsuit is not an isolated case
This is the context: This lawsuit against Epic is not an isolated case. Actor Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and rapper “2 Milly” have sued the game developers for allegedly stealing their dances.
They accuse Epic of profiting from their dances. The accusation also included that Epic is exploiting “black artists and black culture.”
This is the current case: Now the mother of the “Orange Shirt Kid” is also jumping on this “trend” and is suing Fortnite.
She believes that her son’s “creative products” are being exploited. The law firm behind the lawsuit is the same one that filed the previous cases.
This time it is different:
- The other dances were already known before Fortnite and Epic then took them.
- But the dance of the “Orange Shirt Kid” only became famous because of Fortnite.
In a dance competition, Epic called upon its community to develop and submit dances. This also led to the “Random Dance,” as players call it.
Although the boy did not win the competition, he impressed the audience, which is why the dance was later brought to Fortnite, thanks to a petition.
Therefore, it is now difficult for the plaintiffs to negotiate successfully. After all, the dance arose thanks to a competition by Epic, and the rules of the competition clearly state that the dancers transfer their rights to the dance by submitting the video.
It remains to be seen whether the mother will win her lawsuit or whether she will pursue this “trend” without success.
We have created a list of dances in Fortnite for you:
