Alfonso Ribeiro drops his lawsuit against 'Fortnite' makers over 'Carlton dance'

Alfonso Ribeiro has dropped his lawsuit against the makers of the video game Fortnite, after he claimed it was infringing on his copyright by using the ‘Carlton dance’ without permission.

Players in the game can make their on-screen character do the iconic, and instantly recognisable dance, called an ’emote’, which Ribeiro made famous during his time playing Carlton Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

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He argued that Epic Games owed him money for using the dance.

“The reaction from many players worldwide was immediate recognition of the emote as embodying The Dance and, in turn, Ribeiro,” the lawsuit read.

“Indeed, by naming the emote ‘Fresh,’ Epic intentionally induced a direct connection between the in-game purchase and the show where The Dance started, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

“That connection implied an endorsement of that in-game purchase by Ribeiro.”

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But after filing his suit in federal court, his case encountered a substantial bump in the road after the U.S. Copyright Office refused his attempt to trademark the dance.

According to court documents seen by The Blast, Ribeiro, who appeared as a guest judge on Strictly Come Dancing last year, has decided to pull the case.

“This action is dismissed by the Plaintiff(s) in its entirety,” the documents state.

The rapper 2 Milly also filed a case against Epic Games last year, for its use of the ‘Milly Rock’ dance.