‘Fortnite’ files complaint as Dancing Pumpkin Man threatens emote lawsuit
Fortnite seems to constantly be in trouble regarding one thing or another—mainly dancing. Now, even though Halloween is over, things are staying pretty spooky for some. Particularly the 2006 viral sensation Dancing Pumpkin Man.
Dancing Pumpkin Man, or Matt Geiler stated his unhappiness with Epic Games over a character resembling his likeness in Fortnite. Epic Games has since filed a preemptive complaint to a New York federal court in an attempt to dissuade the lawsuit.
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For those who are very young or simply have better things to remember, Dancing Pumpkin Man was a newscaster named Matt Geiler. Geiler went viral in 2006 for dancing and wearing a pumpkin mask. Jog your memory with the video below.
Remember now? Well, Geiler reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Epic Games over the use of a certain character. The character in question is a flaming pumpkin head that can appear on a character when performing the “Pump It Up” dance emote. The dance also bears resemblance to Geiler’s moves in the above video.
Epic Games filed a preemptive complaint with a New York Federal court saying that they paid Geiler $10,000 to license his specific dance. Geiler, on the other hand, contends that he did not give permission to use his likeness in any such way.
This isn’t the first time Epic Games, specifically Fortnite has been involved in a lawsuit over certain likenesses. In fact, it’s happened quite often. Backpack Kid, Alfonso Ribiero of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and BlocBoy JB have all filed lawsuits over Fortnite‘s use of their dance moves.
The majority of these lawsuits have been temporarily suspended. A judge ruled that the plaintiff must own have the item or move in question legally copyrighted.
What do you think of this Fortnite feud? Sound off below.
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