'Fresh Prince' Actor Sues Fortnite Over The Carlton Dance

LOS ANGELES, CA — It's not unusual to do the "Carlton Dance,"made famous by actor Alfonso Ribeiro in the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." The dance is so famously associated with Ribeiro's sitcom character, he now is suing the makers of the Fortnite video game, claiming they stole the Carlton Dance for victory celebrations available for the game's characters .

Ribeiro joins a string of dancers suing the video game for allegedly stealing their moves. Rapper 2 Milly recently sued, claiming the game mimics his "Milly Rock" dance. Even the Backpack Kid from a viral 2016 video of him doing the floss is suing the popular video game.

"Through its unauthorized use of Riberio's highly popular signature dance in its smash-hit, violent video game, Fortnite Battle Royale, (Epic Games Inc.) has unfairly profited from exploiting Ribeiro's protected creative expression and likeness and celebrity without his consent or authorization," according to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.

Officials with Epic Games have not publicly commented on the suit.

Ribeiro's suit contends the similarities between the game and the "Carlton Dance" are just too numerous to be a coincidence. He notes an in-game purchase titled "Fresh" is used to customize avatars players use in the video game. The "Fresh" dance is easily recognizable as the dance performed by Ribeiro in his role as Carlton Banks on the "Fresh Prince" series, which starred Will Smith, he contends.

"Epic cannot profit from Ribeiro's hard-earned fame by its intentional misappropriation of Ribeiro's original content and likeness," according to the suit. "Epic cannot increase the value of its main product by faking endorsements by celebrities."

Ribeiro is seeking unspecified damages.

According to the lawsuit, Ribeiro created the "Carlton Dance" for a 1991 episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" titled "Will's Christmas Show," and 27 years later, it "remains distinctive, immediately recognizable and inextricably linked to Ribeiro's identity, celebrity and likeness."

However, TMZ may have complicated Ribeiro's case Tuesday.

On Tuesday, TMZ published video from 2012 when Ribeiro explained the origin of the dance move.

"I stole it from Courtney Cox and Eddie Murphy," Ribeiro told TMZ after performing the dance with a flash mob at Universal Studios.

Ribeiro said he came up with the dance from watching Cox dance with Bruce Springsteen in his "Dancing in the Dark" video and blended it with Murphy's "White Man Dance" routine.

City News Service contributed to this report; Photo: Actor Alfonso Ribeiro celebrates by dancing the Carlton after winning the celebrity race of the 42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 16, 2016 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)