US judge dismisses lawsuit against Fortnite developer Epic Games

A US judge has dismissed the complaint brought against Epic Games for using the "It's Complicated" dance, claiming that there are not enough similarities between the dances to constitute a copyright violation. Professional dancer Kyle Hanagami has collaborated with artists like Britney Spears and BlackPink.

According to PCGamesN, he filed a lawsuit against Epic Games for using the emote "It's Complicated," stating that the dance used motions from a copyrighted routine used for Charlie Puth's song "How Long".

When a player defeats an opponent or wins the game, they frequently utilize a "emote" to make their avatar perform a dance or other activity.


Epic Games "did not credit Hanagami nor obtain his approval to use, show, copy, sell or generate derivative work based on the Registered Choreography," according to the original lawsuit filed in April.

Hanagami's attorney posted a video of the dance on YouTube, comparing and even superimposing the two to demonstrate how similar the dances were. Stephen Wilson, a US district judge, felt that it was insufficient.
Announcing that the two works "do not share enough original components" to amount to copyright infringement, he dismissed the case on August 24.

There have been conflicts between Epic Games and artists in the past, particularly when it comes to dancing choreography.

Famous people who have sued Epic Games over the incorporation of their routines into Fortnite include Chance the Rapper and Alfonso Ribeiro (the actor who played Carlton on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air).

The most played arena shooter in the world is called Fortnite. Players can buy outfits and dances for characters like Indiana Jones and professional wrestler John Cena to utilize while playing the game.