Two former University of Maryland men’s basketball players are suing the makers of Fortnite, claiming the video game’s creators misappropriated a dance they popularised online.
The US federal lawsuit, filed on Monday in Maryland, accuses North Carolina-based Epic Games of unfairly profiting from the Running Man Challenge dance.
Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley performed it in social media videos and on Ellen DeGeneres’ TV show in 2016.
The suit says the Running Man dance that Fortnite players can purchase for their characters is identical to the dance that Nickens and Brantley created.
Other artists, including Brooklyn-based rapper 2 Milly and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro, also have sued Epic Games over other dances Fortnite Dance Lawsuit depicted in the game.
