YouTuber and choreographer Kyle Hanagam has filed a lawsuit against Epic Games, alleging the developer stole his copyrighted dance for “that tough feel” from Fortnite (H/T Polygon).
In 2017, Hanagam released a dance video of Charlie Putt performing his song “How Long”, which since then has had 35.7 million views. His lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in the Central District of California, said Epic took his “khaki” dance and put the start of the emotion “hard” without asking permission. Epic released Emotion in August 2020.
Early in the Fortnite boom, Epic filed several lawsuits accusing it of stealing its dance moves. Many of these cases were dropped because the plaintiffs did not yet own the copyright to the granted dances when a Supreme Court decision changed the process for copyright cases.
This is where Hanagami’s case differs: he already owns the copyright to a particular dance. His attorneys created an extensive video page showing his dancing and emotion and Fortnite comparison, making it a compelling case. The Unofficial Fortnite Wiki also lists the Hanagami dance as inspiration for Emotions.
The emotion, on the other hand, extends beyond the section isolated by Hannagar’s lawyers, and that part of the dance’s connection to Hannagam’s work is less obvious. Emotion also includes a different song than the one Hannagam used for her choreography.
While Hanagami owns the copyrights to her dance, those copyrights are infamously difficult. Their lawyers will have to prove that Epic copied most of their work, not just a few steps.
Hanagami’s lawsuit seeks a court order to stop Epic Games from using “tough” sentiment, as well as unspecified additional laws, damages, and legal costs.
Source : dbl tap
