US Copyright Office Rejects Ribeiro's Claim on the "Carlton Dance"

In the ongoing battle between dancers and Epic Games, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's "Carlton" actor, Alfonso Ribeiro, has been denied their copyright claim for the dance of the same name.

Ribeiro previously pressed charges against Epic Games and Take-Two for the use of a dance he made, commonly known as "the Carlton Dance," in Fortnite and NBA 2K respectively. In response, Epic Games is pushing to have these claims dismissed.

And their efforts have proven effective. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, the US Copyright Office recently ruled that the Carlton dance isn't enough to be considered choreographic work. This means it doesn't qualify for lawful protection. A letter uploaded by the site shows the request documentation as being rejected.

It's not as if the copyright office simple brushed them off. In the letter, they break down why they believe the dance to be considered a simple routine.

While unfortunate, this isn't too surprising. Current copyright law states that "social dance steps and simple routines" are not part of choreographic work, which is the only form of copyright-protected dancing. Much like how one cannot copyright a word or phrase, because of how easily it can be integrated into other creative works.

One interesting thing about the claims is mentioned throughout the letter. The dance's origin is from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode, "Will's Christmas Show", from 1991. But since the episode itself is owned by NBC, Ribeiro could not use it in reference to his copyright claim, having to use secondary footage on Dancing with the Stars and The Tonight Show, instead.

He is only one of many that have taken action against Epic Games for the use of their dance moves. Other examples include rapper 2 Milly, the Backpack kid, and the mother of the Orange Justice Creator.