IbizaPocholo
NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
https://kotaku.com/rapper-2-milly-sues-epic-games-for-stealing-his-dance-1830888259
Rapper 2 Milly is suing the maker of Fortnite, Epic Games, for selling his signature “Milly Rock” dance as an emote called “Swipe It.” Pierce Bainbridge, the law firm representing 2 Milly, filed the complaint in the Central District Court of California today, accusing Epic of, among other things, copyright infringement, and exploiting African American talent for profit in the game.
The Milly Rock dance was first introduced into Fortnite as part of its season five battle pass, which came out in July. The dance, which was popularized in 2 Milly’s 2014 song by the same name, was rebranded as “Swipe It,” and given to players who purchased the roughly $10 battle pass and reached its Tier 63 reward. 2 Milly told Kotaku in an email at the time that he felt like his dance had been stolen and that he wished Epic had approached him about using the dance before it was added to Fortnite. He’s now suing the company for damages and to have the emote removed from the game.
“I was never compensated by Epic Games for their use of the ‘Milly Rock,’” 2 Milly said in a press release. “They never even asked for my permission. I am thrilled to have David Hecht and his team at Pierce Bainbridge representing me to help right this wrong.”
It’s unclear whether today’s lawsuit will go anywhere, but if it does it could have big consequences not just for Fortnite, which has been copying and selling dance moves from lots of artists, but other games that also sell dance emotes.
Rapper 2 Milly is suing the maker of Fortnite, Epic Games, for selling his signature “Milly Rock” dance as an emote called “Swipe It.” Pierce Bainbridge, the law firm representing 2 Milly, filed the complaint in the Central District Court of California today, accusing Epic of, among other things, copyright infringement, and exploiting African American talent for profit in the game.
The Milly Rock dance was first introduced into Fortnite as part of its season five battle pass, which came out in July. The dance, which was popularized in 2 Milly’s 2014 song by the same name, was rebranded as “Swipe It,” and given to players who purchased the roughly $10 battle pass and reached its Tier 63 reward. 2 Milly told Kotaku in an email at the time that he felt like his dance had been stolen and that he wished Epic had approached him about using the dance before it was added to Fortnite. He’s now suing the company for damages and to have the emote removed from the game.
“I was never compensated by Epic Games for their use of the ‘Milly Rock,’” 2 Milly said in a press release. “They never even asked for my permission. I am thrilled to have David Hecht and his team at Pierce Bainbridge representing me to help right this wrong.”
It’s unclear whether today’s lawsuit will go anywhere, but if it does it could have big consequences not just for Fortnite, which has been copying and selling dance moves from lots of artists, but other games that also sell dance emotes.