Like Alfonso Ribeiro, Backpack Kid and rapper 2 Milly before him, BlocBoy JB is reportedly set to take Fortnite developer Epic Games to court over alleged misappropriation of his "Shoot" dance.
TMZ reports that the Memphis rapper has sued Epic Games, claiming that the company included the signature move in the game without his permission under a different name.
Player avatars can mimic BlocBoy's dance by using a move named "Hype." The site adds that BlocBoy is currently in the process of registering a copyright on the move.
BlocBoy first shared "Shoot" in 2017, with the song's popularity growing further in the wake of a viral dance competition and its inclusion on his 2018 mixtape Simi. Days before the mixtape's arrival last May, BlocBoy had a laugh at the dance's inclusion in Fortnite on social media.
Last September, BlocBoy wrote on Twitter that "EveryTime Somebody Does My Dance Dey Give Credit To @FortniteGame But Dey Ain't Create Nothing But Da Game So Basically Dey Takin Money And Credit For My Shit Dats Crazy." By December, he asked followers, "Should I Sue Fortnite Or Nah."
TMZ reports that the Memphis rapper has sued Epic Games, claiming that the company included the signature move in the game without his permission under a different name.
Player avatars can mimic BlocBoy's dance by using a move named "Hype." The site adds that BlocBoy is currently in the process of registering a copyright on the move.
BlocBoy first shared "Shoot" in 2017, with the song's popularity growing further in the wake of a viral dance competition and its inclusion on his 2018 mixtape Simi. Days before the mixtape's arrival last May, BlocBoy had a laugh at the dance's inclusion in Fortnite on social media.
However, his tune had changed come July of last year, agreeing with Chance the Rapper's suggestion that artists should be compensated by Epic Games for the inclusion of their dances.Fortnite 😂 🍇 #SIMI pic.twitter.com/uONfMubyxp
— BlocBoy JB (@BlocBoy_JB) May 2, 2018
Wat You Said We Need Dat Cash @FortniteGame @EAMaddenNFL https://t.co/hFRH0Db1Mx
— BlocBoy JB (@BlocBoy_JB) July 13, 2018
Last September, BlocBoy wrote on Twitter that "EveryTime Somebody Does My Dance Dey Give Credit To @FortniteGame But Dey Ain't Create Nothing But Da Game So Basically Dey Takin Money And Credit For My Shit Dats Crazy." By December, he asked followers, "Should I Sue Fortnite Or Nah."
EveryTime Somebody Does My Dance Dey Give Credit To @FortniteGame But Dey Ain't Create Nothing But Da Game So Basically Dey Takin Money And Credit For My Shit Dats Crazy
— BlocBoy JB (@BlocBoy_JB) September 10, 2018
Should I Sue Fortnite Or Nah🤔
— BlocBoy JB (@BlocBoy_JB) December 20, 2018