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'Fresh Prince' star Alfonso Ribeiro sues Fortnite for use of the 'Carlton' dance

The "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star claims the makers of Fortnite and NBA 2K are profiting from his "Carlton Dance" without permission or credit.
/ Source: TODAY

Alfonso Ribeiro is not in a dancing mood when it comes to the makers of the massively popular video games Fortnite and NBA 2K.

The former "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star is suing Epic Games, which created Fortnite, and Take-Two Interactive, the brand behind NBA 2K, in federal court claiming they used his "Carlton Dance" from the hit '90s sitcom without his permission and without giving him credit.

Ribeiro's attorneys filed the suit Monday in an attempt to get the makers of both games to stop using his signature dance moves, according to the Associated Press. The goofy dance first appeared in a 1991 episode of the show, where Ribeiro played the character Carlton Banks.

Fortnite is a free game, but players can purchase "emotes" that allow their characters to do certain dances in celebration. Since the release of the current version of the game, Fortnite brought in $1.2 billion through May and has been played by 125 million people, according to Bloomberg, citing figures from SuperData Research.

"Epic has made a fortune from unlawfully and unfairly misappropriating Ribeiro’s and other artists’ creative expression, likeness, and endorsement without crediting or compensating these artists," the lawsuit claims, according to the New York Daily News.

"Ribeiro thus brings this lawsuit to prevent Fortnite from further using his likeness and The Dance, and to recover the revenue rightfully owed to him."

Ribeiro, 47, isn't the only one claiming his dance moves have been appropriated by Epic Games.

Rapper 2 Milly is suing for alleged misappropriation of his "Milly Rock" dance in Fortnite, while Instagram personality Russell Horning, who goes by the name Backpack Kid, is doing the same for use of his dance, known as "The Floss."

Epic Games and Take-Two spokesmen didn't respond to requests for comment from NBC News.