Alfonso Ribeiro v. Epic Games, Inc.

Filing 1

COMPLAINT Receipt No: 0973-22904596 - Fee: $400, filed by Plaintiff Alfonso Ribeiro. (Attorney Carolynn Kyungwon Beck added to party Alfonso Ribeiro(pty:pla))(Beck, Carolynn)

Download PDF
Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 1 of 24 Page ID #:1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP Carolynn Kyungwon Beck (SBN 264703) cbeck@piercebainbridge.com Daniel Dubin (SBN 313235) ddubin@piercebainbridge.com 600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500 Los Angeles, California 90017-3212 (213) 262-9333 Attorneys for Plaintiff Alfonso Ribeiro 9 THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Case No. 2:18-cv-10412 Alfonso Ribeiro, an individual, Complaint Plaintiff, v. Epic Games, Inc., a North Carolina corporation; and Does 1 through 50, inclusive, Defendants. 1. Direct Infringement of Copyright 2. Contributory Infringement of Copyright 3. Violation of the Right of Publicity under California Common Law; 4. Violation of the Right of Publicity under Cal. Civ. Code § 3344; 5. Unfair Competition under Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, et seq.; 6. Unfair Competition under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a) Demand for Jury Trial 27 28 Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 2 of 24 Page ID #:2 1 Plaintiff Alfonso Ribeiro, (“Plaintiff” or “Ribeiro”), by and through 2 his undersigned counsel, asserts the following claims against Defendant 3 Epic Games, Inc. (“Epic”) and Does 1 through 50 (collectively referred 4 to as “Defendants”), and alleges as follows: 5 I. OVERVIEW 6 Through its unauthorized use of Ribeiro’s highly popular 7 signature dance (“The Dance” or “Dance”) in its smash-hit, violent video 8 game, Fortnite Battle Royale (“Fortnite”), Epic has unfairly profited 9 from exploiting Ribeiro’s protected creative expression and likeness and 10 celebrity without his consent or authorization. 11 Ribeiro is an internationally famous Hollywood star, known 12 for his starring role as Carlton Banks from the hit television series The 13 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and as host of America’s Funniest Home Videos. 14 Ribeiro created his highly recognizable “Dance,” that has also been 15 referred to by the public as “The Carlton Dance,” which exploded in 16 popularity and became highly recognizable as Ribeiro’s signature dance 17 internationally. The Dance is now inextricably linked to Ribeiro and 18 has continued to be a part of his celebrity persona. 19 Defendants capitalized on Alfonso Ribeiro’s celebrity and 20 popularity by selling The Dance as an in-game purchase in Fortnite 21 under the name “Fresh,” which players can buy to customize their 22 avatars for use in the game. Although misleadingly labeled in Fortnite, 23 the emote, as they are called, was immediately recognized by players 24 and media worldwide as Ribeiro’s The Dance. Epic did not seek, much 25 less obtain, Ribeiro’s consent to use, display, reproduce, sell, or creative 26 a derivate work based upon The Dance or Ribiero’s likeness. Epic did 27 not seek, much less obtain, Ribeiro’s consent to use, display, reproduce, 28 –1– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 3 of 24 Page ID #:3 1 sell, or creative a derivate work based upon The Dance or Ribeiro’s 2 likeness. 3 Since being released in or around September 2017, Fortnite 4 has become among the most popular video games ever with sales far in 5 excess of $1 billion. Indeed, Fortnite made approximately $318 million 6 in May 2018 alone, the “biggest month ever for a video game.” As a free- 7 to-play game, Fortnite derives its sales through in-game purchases. 8 Epic cannot profit from Ribeiro’s hard-earned fame by its intentional 9 misappropriation of Ribeiro’s original content and likeness. Epic cannot 10 increase the value of its main product by faking endorsements by 11 celebrities. Ribeiro seeks injunctive relief and damages, including, but 12 not limited to, Epic’s profits attributed to its misappropriation of The 13 Dance and Ribeiro’s likeness. 14 II. THE PARTIES 15 Ribeiro resides in Los Angeles, California. 16 Epic is a North Carolina business corporation with its 17 principal place of business at 620 Crossroads Boulevard, Cary, NC 18 27518. Epic is the creator and developer of the Fortnite video game 19 franchise, which was first released in July of 2017. 20 The true names and identities of the defendants herein sued 21 as Does 1 through 50, inclusive, are unknown to Ferguson, who 22 therefore sues those defendants by such fictitious names. When the 23 true names of those defendants have been ascertained, Ferguson will 24 amend this complaint accordingly. Each of the defendants aided and 25 abetted and is responsible in some manner for the occurrences herein 26 alleged, and Ferguson’s injuries were proximately caused thereby. 27 28 –2– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 4 of 24 Page ID #:4 1 At all times herein mentioned, each of the defendants was 2 acting as an agent, servant, employee or representative of defendants, 3 and, in doing the things alleged in this Complaint, was acting within 4 the course and scope of that agency, service, employment, or joint 5 venture. 6 III. SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION AND 7 VENUE 8 The Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this action 9 pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331 (federal question), 28 U.S.C. § 1332 10 (diversity), and 28 U.S.C. § 1367 (supplemental jurisdiction). 11 Venue is proper in this District under A) 28 U.S.C. § 12 1391(b)(2) (federal question jurisdiction), because a substantial part of 13 the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred in this District; 14 and B) 28 U.S.C. §§ 1391(b)(1) and (c) (personal jurisdiction), because 15 all defendants are subject to personal jurisdiction in this State and at 16 least one in this District. 17 IV. FACTUAL BACKGROUND 18 Ribeiro and the Creation of The Dance 19 Raised in the New York City borough of the Bronx, Ribeiro 20 has been acting since the age of eight, gaining notoriety and prominence 21 in particular for his dancing. Ribeiro starred in the Broadway musical 22 The Tap Dance Kid in 1983, released a single called Alfonso Ribeiro – 23 Dance Baby in 1984, appeared as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial with 24 Michael Jackson in 1984, and authored a dance instruction book in 1985 25 called Alfonso’s Breakin’ & Poppin’ Book. 26 In 1991, Ribeiro created The Dance and first performed it on 27 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air during the episode Will’s Christmas Show. 28 –3– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 5 of 24 Page ID #:5 1 Twenty-seven years later, The Dance remains distinctive, immediately 2 recognizable, and inextricably linked to Ribeiro’s identity, celebrity, and 3 likeness. 4 Since its conception in 1991, The Dance has maintained its 5 popularity. Ribeiro continues to perform The Dance, even inserting it 6 during his famous performance in 2014 as part of his victorious run on 7 the hit television show Dancing with the Stars. Ribeiro is constantly 8 inundated with requests to perform The Dance; he has performed it on 9 numerous occasions at the behest of both the public1 and celebrities. 10 Indeed, in 2016, the recording artist Justin Timberlake and NBA 11 superstar Stephen Curry, performed The Dance, alongside Ribeiro, at 12 the popular American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament.2 13 A 2013 video by the BBC including Will Smith and his son 14 Jaden Smith, Jeffrey Allen Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff), and Ribeiro 15 performing The Dance has garnered over sixty-nine million views on 16 YouTube.3 17 The Dance has become synonymous with Ribeiro, who is 18 unanimously credited with creating The Dance. Ribeiro has also been 19 interviewed several times about the creation of The Dance and how to 20 properly perform it. 21 identity and The Dance’s unique movements readily evoke a connection 22 to Ribeiro. 23 24 25 26 27 28 Accordingly, The Dance is a part of Ribeiro’s BlackAmericaWeb.com, Alfonso Ribeiro: “Please Stop Asking Me To Dance”, https://blackamericaweb.com/2013/08/13/alfonso-ribeiro-please-stop-asking-me-todance (quoting Ribeiro as stating “[P]eople walk up to me and they say ‘Do the dance’”). 2 NBC Sports, Stephen Curry and Justin Timberlake are Shown by Alfonso Ribeiro how to Properly do “the Carlton” That Ribeiro made famous on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” NBC, https://www.nbcsports.com/video/alfonso-ribeiro-justin-timberlakestephen-curry-do-carlton. 3 The video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwS14TiO7Pk. 1 –4– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 6 of 24 Page ID #:6 1 Fortnite: The Most Popular Video Game Ever 2 Prior to releasing Fortnite, which has become among the 3 most popular and successful video games ever, Epic developed two 4 popular video game franchises: 5 releasing the first Gears of War game in 2006 Epic released several 6 subsequent Gears of War video games, and the franchise has made over 7 $1 billion in total sales. Unreal and Gears of War. Since 8 In or around 2011, following the release of the third Gears 9 of War installment, Fortnite began from an Epic internal video game 10 “hackathon,” a gathering of Epic developers to brainstorm ideas and 11 create games in a short period. Although the Fortnite game was not 12 developed during the hackathon, the idea to merge building games (i.e., 13 Minecraft) and shooter games (i.e., Gears of War or Call of Duty) 14 emerged during the hackathon. 15 In or around July 2017, Epic released the initial version of 16 Fortnite as a paid early-access video game in the “Battle Royale” genre. 17 However, by September 2017, after PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds— 18 a game which occupied the same genre as Fortnite—became a 19 worldwide success, Epic released Fortnite Battle Royale, a free-to-play 20 third-person shooting game on the Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, and 21 Xbox One platforms. Epic subsequently released Fortnite on the iOS, 22 Nintendo, and Android platforms on April 2, 2018, June 12, 2018, and 23 August 9, 2018, respectively. 24 Similar to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Fortnite 25 utilizes the battle royale genre where a large number of players, alone, 26 in pairs, or groups, compete to be the last player or group alive. Indeed, 27 similar to Battlegrounds and Gears of War, Fortnite features the use of 28 –5– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 7 of 24 Page ID #:7 1 weapons and violence, that players use to eliminate the competition by 2 attacking and shooting them. 3 As a free-to-play video game, Epic allows players to 4 download and play Fortnite for free. Epic’s revenue from Fortnite comes 5 from in-game transactions where players can purchase virtual 6 currency, called “Vinderbucks” or “V-Bucks.” The players in turn use 7 V-Bucks via the “Item Shop” to purchase customizations for their in- 8 game avatars, including new characters, pickaxe modifications, glider 9 skins, clothing, and emotes (dances or movements). Fortnite also sells 10 “Battle Passes” or additional levels that allow you to unlock skins, 11 gliders, and emotes unique to that Pass. Fortnite offers four pricing 12 levels for purchasing V-Bucks (in U.S. Dollars): 13 1) 1,000 V-Bucks for $9.99; 14 2) 2,500 (+300 Bonus) V-Bucks for $24.99; 15 3) 6,000 (+1,500 Bonus) V-Bucks for $59.99; or 16 4) 10,000 (+3,500 Bonus) V-Bucks for $99.99. 17 There are four types of emotes: common emotes, uncommon 18 emotes, rare emotes, and epic emotes. The rarer the emote, the more 19 expensive or harder it is to obtain. Uncommon emotes cost 200 V- 20 Bucks. Rare emotes cost 500 V-Bucks. And Epic emotes cost 800 V- 21 Bucks. 22 To start, Fortnite provides each player with the “Dance 23 Moves” emote, a common emote, for no compensation. Players can then 24 obtain other emotes by purchasing and playing additional levels in 25 Battle Passes (950 V-Bucks each) that come with emotes unique to that 26 Pass, or by purchasing certain emotes directly with V-Bucks. On some 27 occasions, Fortnite sells Battle Pass emotes directly, without requiring 28 the player to purchase the Battle Pass. –6– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 8 of 24 Page ID #:8 1 Emotes are incredibly popular and are fundamental to 2 Fortnite’s success. Players purchase emotes, alongside clothing and 3 skins, to personalize their Fortnite experience. 4 become popular outside Fortnite. Professional athletes in soccer and 5 other sports have based their celebrations on Fortnite emotes. Young 6 adults, teenagers, and kids also post videos of themselves on YouTube 7 and social media performing emotes under various hashtags, including 8 #fortnitedance or #fortnitevideos. Upon information and belief, Epic 9 intentionally induces others to perform these dances and mark them 10 with those hashtags, which give attribution to and endorse Fortnite the 11 game. Emotes have also 12 Upon information and belief, Epic creates emotes by copying 13 and coding dances and movements directly from popular videos, movies, 14 and television shows without consent. Epic does so by coding still 15 frames of the source material. 16 Epic has consistently sought to exploit African-American 17 talent, in particular in Fortnite, by copying their dances and movements 18 and sell them through emotes. 19 movements of numerous African-American performers, including, 20 among others, the dance from the 2004 Snoop Dogg music video, “Drop 21 It Like It’s Hot” (named the “Tidy” emote), 2 Milly’s “Milly Rock” dance 22 (named the “Swipe It” emote), the dance performed by Will Smith on 23 the television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (named the 24 “Rambunctious” emote), the dance in Marlon Webb’s popular “Band of 25 the Bold” video (named the “Best Mates” emote), Donald Faison’s 26 signature dance seen on the NBC television show Scrubs (named the 27 “Dance Moves” emote), and, most pertinent here, Alfonso Ribeiro’s The Epic has copied the dances and 28 –7– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 9 of 24 Page ID #:9 1 Dance. Upon information and belief, Epic did not seek consent or 2 authorization to use any of these movements or dances. 3 Soon after its release, Fortnite became an international 4 phenomenon. The game eclipsed 10 million players merely two weeks 5 after its release; 125 million players by July 2018. In November 2018, 6 Bloomberg announced that Fortnite had 200 million player accounts 7 across all platforms. 8 Fortnite’s popularity has translated into record in-game 9 sales for Epic. Analysts have estimated that since its release, Fortnite 10 has generated between $1 billion to $2 billion in revenue through in- 11 game purchases such as emotes. In May 2018, Fortnite broke its own 12 record by generating approximately $318 million in revenue, the biggest 13 month ever for a video game. In fact, nearly 80 million people played 14 Fortnite in August 2018. Because of Fortnite’s success, Epic’s estimated 15 valuation rose from about $825 million to about $5 billion. Bloomberg 16 estimates that Epic’s valuation could grow to $8.5 billion by 2018’s end. 17 Upon information and belief, Epic will likely continue 18 adding popular emotes to Fortnite without the artists’ or creators’ 19 consent or approval to attract more players and add to its quickly- 20 growing revenue. 21 Fortnite’s Unauthorized Use of The Dance 22 On January 2, 2018, Fortnite released the Fresh emote into 23 its Item Shop. Players could purchase the Fresh emote for 800 V-Bucks. 24 The Fresh emote is identical to Ribeiro’s The Dance. If 25 obtained or purchased, the Fortnite player’s avatar can perform The 26 Dance during Fortnite gameplay. 27 worldwide was immediate recognition of the emote as embodying The 28 Dance and, in turn, Ribeiro. Indeed, by naming the emote “Fresh,” Epic The reaction from many players –8– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 10 of 24 Page ID #:10 1 intentionally induced a direct connection between the in-game purchase 2 and the show where The Dance started, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. 3 That connection implied an endorsement of that in-game purchase by 4 Ribeiro. 5 6 7 8 Epic developed the Fresh emote to intentionally mimic Ribeiro performing The Dance. Epic did not seek to obtain Ribeiro’s authorization or consent for its use of his likeness and The Dance for the Fresh emote. 9 Moreover, Ribeiro did not give Epic express or implied 10 consent for its use of his likeness and The Dance for the Fresh emote. 11 Epic also did not compensate Ribeiro for its use of his likeness and The 12 Dance for the Fresh emote. 13 Upon information and belief, Epic added the Fresh emote to 14 intentionally exploit the popularity of Ribeiro and The Dance without 15 providing Ribeiro any form of compensation. 16 Epic profited from its improper misappropriation of The 17 Dance and Ribeiro’s likeness by, inter alia: 1) selling the infringing 18 Fresh emote directly to players; 2) advertising the Fresh emote to 19 attract additional players, including Ribeiro’s fans or those persons 20 familiar with The Dance to play Fortnite and make in-game purchases; 21 3) using Ribeiro’s fame to stay relevant to its current players to 22 incentivize those players to continue playing Fortnite; 4) impliedly 23 representing that Ribeiro consented to Epic’s use of his likeness; 5) 24 intentionally causing the erroneous public association between the 25 Fresh and The Dance; 6) creating the false impression that Ribeiro 26 endorsed Fortnite; and 7) inducing and/or contributing to the 27 performance and misattribution of The Dance by others. 28 –9– Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 11 of 24 Page ID #:11 1 Upon information and belief, Epic uses The Dance, and other 2 dances, to create the false impression that Epic started these dances 3 and crazes or that the performer who created them is endorsing the 4 game. 5 performance and false attribution of The Dance. Fortnite Players have 6 posted thousands of videos of themselves performing the “Fresh” emote 7 with the hashtag, #fortnitedance, without referencing The Dance or 8 crediting Ribeiro as The Dance’s creator and owner. Accordingly, upon 9 information and belief, Epic actively and knowingly directs, causes, 10 induces, and encourages others, including, but not limited to, its 11 players, 12 developers, and repair providers, to misappropriate Ribeiro’s likeness 13 and The Dance. Indeed, Epic induces others and/or contributes to their designers, suppliers, distributors, resellers, software 14 Prominent artists, including Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, 15 known as Chance the Rapper, and Terrence Ferguson, known as 2 16 Milly, have also publicly disapproved of Epic’s practices, and advocated 17 for Epic sharing profits with the artists that created these dances. 18 Epic has made a fortune from unlawfully and unfairly 19 misappropriating Ribeiro’s and other artists’ creative expression, 20 likeness, and endorsement without crediting or compensating these 21 artists. 22 further using his likeness and The Dance, and to recover the revenue 23 rightfully owed to him. Ribeiro thus brings this lawsuit to prevent Fortnite from 24 FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION 25 (For Direct Infringement of Copyright Against All Defendants) 26 Ribeiro hereby repeats and realleges the allegations set 27 forth in paragraphs 1 through 38 above, as though fully set forth herein 28 – 10 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 12 of 24 Page ID #:12 1 In 1991, Ribeiro created The Dance and first performed it on 2 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air during the episode Will’s Christmas Show. 3 On or around August 15, 2006, the segment of The Fresh Prince of Bel- 4 Air during which Ribeiro performs The Dance was published to 5 YouTube where it can be accessed by millions of people. The video 6 shows Ribeiro, as Carlton Banks, performing The Dance to the tune of 7 Tom Jones “It’s Not Unusual.” 8 Ribeiro is the undisputed creator of the wildly popular and 9 immediately recognizable Dance. YouTube videos depicting Ribeiro’s 10 performance in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are the original depictions 11 of The Dance. 12 Ribeiro is in the process of registering The Dance with the 13 United States Copyright Office. 14 submitted an application for copyright registration of three variations 15 of The Dance and assigned Copyright Office case numbers 1- 16 7226013364, 1-7226013290, and 1-7225814191. On December 15, 2018, Ribeiro 17 Defendants have infringed and continue to infringe Ribeiro’s 18 copyrights in The Dance by selling The Dance emote as an in-game 19 purchase, under the name “Fresh” that, if purchased, a player can use 20 to make his or her avatar perform during Fortnite gameplay; 21 substantially copying The Dance in digital form to the Fortnite game; 22 advertising The Dance in its promotional materials; and creating the 23 Fresh emote as a derivative work of The Dance. 24 Defendants did not seek to obtain Ribeiro’s permission for 25 its use of The Dance for the Fresh emote. 26 compensated or credited Ribeiro for their use of The Dance. Nor have Defendants 27 Moreover, Defendants actively and knowingly directed, 28 caused, induced, and encouraged others, including, but not limited to, – 11 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 13 of 24 Page ID #:13 1 its players, designers, suppliers, distributors, resellers, software 2 developers, and repair providers, to misappropriate Ribeiro’s likeness 3 and The Dance. 4 Defendants’ acts of infringement have been willful, 5 intentional, and purposeful, in disregard of and with indifference to 6 Plaintiff’s rights. 7 Defendants’ willful and continued unauthorized use of The 8 Dance has caused and will continue to cause confusion and mistake by 9 leading the public to erroneously associate the Fresh emote offered by 10 Epic with The Dance in violation of 17 U.S.C. §§ 101 et seq. 11 As a result of Defendants’ conduct, Ribeiro has been 12 damaged by being precluded from receiving his rightful share of the 13 profits earned by Epic for its improper and unlicensed use of Ribeiro’s 14 exclusive copyrights in The Dance in Fortnite. 15 Ribeiro is entitled to permanent injunctive relief preventing 16 Defendants, and their officers, agents, and employees, and all related 17 persons from further using The Dance and engaging in other acts in 18 violation of Copyright law. 19 As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ 20 infringement of Plaintiff’s copyrights and exclusive rights under 21 copyright, Ribeiro is also entitled to recover damages, including 22 attorneys’ fees, and any profits obtained by Defendants as a result of 23 the infringements alleged above, in an amount according to proof to be 24 determined at the time of trial. 25 In doing the acts herein alleged, Defendants acted 26 fraudulently, willfully, and with malice, and Ribeiro is therefore 27 entitled to punitive damages according to proof at the time of trial. 28 – 12 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 14 of 24 Page ID #:14 1 SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION 2 (For Contributory Infringement of Copyright Against All 3 Defendants) 4 Ribeiro hereby repeats and realleges the allegations set 5 forth in paragraphs 1 through 51 above, as though fully set forth herein. 6 Ribeiro is in the process of registering The Dance with the 7 United States Copyright Office. 8 submitted applications for copyright registrations and assigned 9 Copyright Office case numbers 1-7226013364, 1-7226013290, and 1- 10 On December 15, 2018, Ribeiro 7225814191. 11 Defendants have infringed and continue to infringe Ribeiro’s 12 copyrights in The Dance by selling The Dance emote as an in-game 13 purchase, under the name “Fresh” that, if purchased, a player can use 14 to make his or her avatar perform during Fortnite gameplay; 15 substantially copying The Dance in digital form to the Fortnite game; 16 advertising The Dance in its promotional materials; and creating the 17 Fresh emote as a derivative work of The Dance. 18 By providing the Fresh emote necessary for its players to 19 commit direct copyright infringement, Defendants have and continue to 20 materially 21 distributions by its players of The Dance. 22 contribute to the unauthorized reproductions and Defendants did not seek to obtain Ribeiro’s permission for 23 its use of The Dance for the Fresh emote. 24 compensated or credited Ribeiro for their use of The Dance. Nor have Defendants 25 Moreover, Defendants actively and knowingly directed, 26 caused, induced, and encouraged others, including, but not limited to, 27 its players, designers, suppliers, distributors, resellers, software 28 – 13 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 15 of 24 Page ID #:15 1 developers, and repair providers, to misappropriate Ribeiro’s likeness 2 and The Dance. 3 Defendants’ acts of infringement have been willful, 4 intentional, and purposeful, in disregard of and with indifference to 5 Plaintiff’s rights. 6 Defendants’ willful and continued unauthorized use of The 7 Dance has caused and will continue to cause confusion and mistake by 8 leading the public to erroneously associate the Fresh emote offered by 9 Epic with The Dance in violation of 17 U.S.C. §§ 101 et seq. 10 As a result of Defendants’ conduct, Ribeiro has been 11 damaged by being precluded from receiving his rightful share of the 12 profits earned by Epic for its improper and unlicensed use of Ribeiro’s 13 exclusive copyrights in The Dance in Fortnite. 14 Defendants’ conduct is causing and, unless enjoined and 15 restrained by this Court, will continue to cause Plaintiff great and 16 irreparable injury that cannot be compensated or measured in money. 17 Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law. Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 502, 18 Plaintiff is entitled to injunctive relief, prohibiting further contributory 19 infringements of Plaintiff’s copyrights. 20 As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ 21 infringement of Plaintiff’s copyrights and exclusive rights under 22 copyright, Ribeiro is also entitled to recover damages, including 23 attorneys’ fees, and any profits obtained by Defendants as a result of 24 the infringements alleged above, in an amount according to proof to be 25 determined at the time of trial. 26 In doing the acts herein alleged, Defendants acted 27 fraudulently, willfully, and with malice, and Ribeiro is therefore 28 entitled to punitive damages according to proof at the time of trial. – 14 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 16 of 24 Page ID #:16 1 THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION 2 (For Violation of the Right of Publicity Under California 3 Common Law Against All Defendants) 4 Ribeiro hereby repeats and realleges the allegations set 5 forth in paragraphs 1 through 63, above, as though fully set forth 6 herein. 7 Through their use of The Dance as an in-game dance emote 8 that can be purchased as the Fresh, Defendants misappropriated 9 Ribeiro’s identity. The Fresh emote depicts Ribeiro performing The 10 Dance. 11 Upon information and belief, Defendants created the Fresh 12 emote by capturing and digitally copying Ribeiro performing The Dance. 13 Defendants then utilized the digital copy to create code that, if 14 purchased, allows player avatars to perform The Dance. 15 Defendants did not seek or obtain Ribeiro’s authorization or 16 consent for its use of his likeness or The Dance for the Fresh emote. Nor 17 have Defendants compensated or credited Ribeiro for their use of his 18 likeness or The Dance. 19 Defendants used Ribeiro’s likeness and The Dance to 20 generate significant wealth by: 1) selling the infringing Fresh emote 21 directly to players; 2) advertising the Fresh emote to attract additional 22 players, including Ribeiro’s fans or those persons familiar with The 23 Dance to play Fortnite and make in-game purchases; 3) using Ribeiro’s 24 fame to stay relevant to its current players to incentivize those players 25 to continue playing Fortnite; 4) impliedly representing that Ribeiro 26 consented to Epic’s use of his likeness; 5) intentionally causing the 27 erroneous public association between the Fresh and The Dance; 6) 28 creating the false impression that Ribeiro endorsed Fortnite; and 7) – 15 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 17 of 24 Page ID #:17 1 inducing and/or contributing to the performance and misattribution of 2 The Dance by others. 3 As a performance artist, Ribeiro exploits his identity by 4 performing in shows, events, and with the media. Ribeiro was damaged 5 by Defendants’ conduct as he was prevented from reaping the profits of 6 licensing his likeness or The Dance to Defendants. 7 Defendants’ conduct caused and will continue to cause 8 confusion and mistake by leading the public to erroneously believe that 9 Ribeiro consented to the use of his likeness or The Dance in the Fortnite 10 game. 11 Ribeiro is entitled to permanent injunctive relief preventing 12 Defendants, and their officers, agents, and employees, and all related 13 persons from further using his likeness or The Dance. 14 Ribeiro is also entitled to recover damages, including any 15 profits obtained by Defendants as a result of the infringements alleged 16 above, in an amount according to proof to be determined at the time of 17 trial. 18 FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION 19 (For Violation of the Right of Publicity Under Cal. Civ. Code § 20 3344 Against All Defendants) 21 Ribeiro hereby repeats and realleges the allegations set 22 forth in paragraphs 1 through 72, above, as though fully set forth 23 herein. 24 Through their use of The Dance as an in-game dance emote 25 that can be purchased as the Fresh, Defendants misappropriated 26 Ribeiro’s identity. The Fresh emote depicts Ribeiro performing The 27 Dance. 28 – 16 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 18 of 24 Page ID #:18 1 Upon information and belief, Defendants created the Fresh 2 emote by capturing and digitally copying Ribeiro performing The Dance. 3 Defendants then utilized the digital copy to create code that, if 4 purchased, allows player avatars to perform The Dance. 5 Defendants did not seek or obtain Ribeiro’s authorization or 6 consent for its use of his likeness or The Dance for the Fresh emote. Nor 7 have Defendants compensated or credited Ribeiro for their use of his 8 likeness or The Dance. 9 Defendants used Ribeiro’s likeness and The Dance to 10 generate significant wealth by: 1) selling the infringing Fresh emote 11 directly to players; 2) advertising the Fresh emote to attract additional 12 players, including Ribeiro’s fans or those persons familiar with The 13 Dance to play Fortnite and make in-game purchases; 3) using Ribeiro’s 14 fame to stay relevant to its current players to incentivize those players 15 to continue playing Fortnite; 4) impliedly representing that Ribeiro 16 consented to Epic’s use of his likeness; 5) intentionally causing the 17 erroneous public association between the Fresh and The Dance; 6) 18 creating the false impression that Ribeiro endorsed Fortnite; and 7) 19 inducing and/or contributing to the performance and misattribution of 20 The Dance by others. 21 As a performance artist, Ribeiro exploits his identity by 22 performing in shows, events, and with the media. Ribeiro was damaged 23 by Defendants’ conduct as he was prevented from reaping the profits of 24 licensing his likeness or The Dance to Defendants. 25 Defendants’ conduct caused and will continue to cause 26 confusion and mistake by leading the public to erroneously believe that 27 Ribeiro consented to the use of his likeness or The Dance in the Fortnite 28 game. – 17 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 19 of 24 Page ID #:19 1 Ribeiro is entitled to permanent injunctive relief preventing 2 Defendants, and their officers, agents, and employees, and all related 3 persons from further using his likeness or The Dance. 4 Ribeiro is also entitled to recover damages, including any 5 profits obtained by Defendants as a result of the infringements alleged 6 above, in an amount according to proof to be determined at the time of 7 trial. 8 FIFTH CAUSE OF ACTION 9 (Unfair Competition Under Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200) 10 Ribeiro hereby repeats and realleges the allegations set 11 forth in paragraphs 1 through 81, above, as though fully set forth 12 herein. 13 By misappropriating Ribeiro’s likeness through the 14 improper use of The Dance, Defendants have engaged in business acts 15 or practices that constitute unfair competition in violation of Cal. Bus. 16 & Prof. Code. § 17200. 17 As a result of Defendants’ violations, Defendants have 18 unjustly enriched themselves by: 1) selling the infringing Fresh emote 19 directly to players; 2) advertising the Fresh emote to attract additional 20 players, including Ribeiro’s fans or those persons familiar with The 21 Dance to play Fortnite and make in-game purchases; 3) using Ribeiro’s 22 fame to stay relevant to its current players to incentivize those players 23 to continue playing Fortnite; 4) impliedly representing that Ribeiro 24 consented to Epic’s use of his likeness; 5) intentionally causing the 25 erroneous public association between the Fresh and The Dance; 6) 26 creating the false impression that Ribeiro endorsed Fortnite; and 7) 27 inducing and/or contributing to the performance and misattribution of 28 The Dance by others. – 18 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 20 of 24 Page ID #:20 1 As a result of Defendants’ conduct, Ribeiro has been 2 damaged by Defendants’ conduct as he was prevented from reaping the 3 profits of licensing his likeness or The Dance to Defendants. 4 Ribeiro is entitled to permanent injunctive relief preventing 5 Defendants, and their officers, agents, and employees, and all related 6 persons from further using his likeness or The Dance. 7 Ribeiro is also entitled to recover damages, including any 8 profits obtained by Defendants as a result of the misappropriation 9 alleged above, in an amount according to proof to be determined at the 10 time of trial. 11 SIXTH CAUSE OF ACTION 12 (Unfair Competition Under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)) 13 Ribeiro hereby repeats and realleges the allegations set 14 forth in paragraphs 1 through 87 above, as though fully set forth herein. 15 Since debuting The Dance, The Dance has exploded in 16 popularity. The Dance has become synonymous with Ribeiro, who is 17 unanimously credited with creating the dance that bears his famous 18 first role of Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Ribeiro 19 has also been interviewed several times about the creation of The Dance 20 and how to properly perform it. Accordingly, The Dance is a part of 21 Ribeiro’s identity and the dance’s unique movements readily evoke 22 imagery of Ribeiro’s famous performances of The Dance. 23 Defendant's copying and relabeling of Ribeiro’s The Dance 24 has caused confusion, deception, and mistake by the creation of the false 25 and misleading impression that Defendants were the creators of The 26 Dance or that Ribeiro was somehow affiliated, connected, or associated 27 with Defendants or provided sponsorship or approval to Defendants. 28 – 19 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 21 of 24 Page ID #:21 1 Defendants have further misrepresented the nature, 2 characteristics, qualities and origin of The Dance. Defendants have 3 diluted Ribeiro’s signature Dance by inducing others to flood the 4 Internet with videos with performances of The Dance without any 5 attribution. Defendants have tarnished Riberio’s signature Dance by 6 incorporating it, without permission, into a violent video game. 7 As a result of Defendants’ conduct, Ribeiro is damaged by 8 Defendants’ exploitation of his likeness through 1) selling the infringing 9 Fresh emote directly to players; 2) advertising the Fresh emote to 10 attract additional players, including Ribeiro’s fans or those persons 11 familiar with The Dance to play Fortnite and make in-game purchases; 12 3) using Ribeiro’s fame to stay relevant to its current players to 13 incentivize those players to continue playing Fortnite; 4) impliedly 14 representing that Ribeiro consented to Epic’s use of his likeness; 5) 15 intentionally causing the erroneous public association between the 16 Fresh and The Dance; 6) creating the false impression that Ribeiro 17 endorsed Fortnite; and 7) inducing and/or contributing to the 18 performance and misattribution of The Dance by others. 19 Ribeiro is entitled to permanent injunctive relief preventing 20 Defendants, and their officers, agents, and employees, and all related 21 persons from further using The Dance. 22 Ribeiro is also entitled to recover damages, including 23 attorney’s fees, as a result of the infringements alleged above, in an 24 amount according to proof to be determined at the time of trial. 25 26 27 28 – 20 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 22 of 24 Page ID #:22 1 PRAYER FOR RELIEF 2 As to the First Cause of Action: 3 1. 4 For an order restraining Defendants from using, selling, or displaying Ribeiro’s copyright in the Fortnite game; 5 2. For an award of damages according to proof; 6 3. For punitive and/or exemplary damages; 7 4. For attorney’s fees and costs; 8 As to the Second Cause of Action: 9 5. 10 For an order restraining Defendants from using, selling, or displaying Ribeiro’s copyright in the Fortnite game; 11 6. For an award of damages according to proof; 12 7. For punitive and/or exemplary damages; 13 8. For attorney’s fees and costs; 14 As to the Third Cause of Action: 15 9. For an order restraining Defendants from using, advertising, 16 promoting, marketing, selling or offering for sale Ribeiro’s 17 likeness in the Fortnite game; 18 10. For an award of damages according to proof; 19 As to the Fourth Cause of Action: 20 11. For an order restraining Defendants from using, advertising, 21 promoting, marketing, selling or offering for sale Ribeiro’s 22 likeness in the Fortnite game; 23 12. For an award of damages according to proof; 24 13. For punitive and/or exemplary damages; 25 As to the Fifth Cause of Action: 26 14. For an order restraining Defendants from advertising, promoting, 27 marketing, selling or offering for sale Ribeiro’s copyright and 28 likeness in the Fortnite game; – 21 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 23 of 24 Page ID #:23 1 15. For an award of damages according to proof; 2 16. For punitive and/or exemplary damages; 3 17. For attorney’s fees and costs; 4 As to the Sixth Cause of Action: 5 18. For an order restraining Defendants from advertising, promoting, 6 marketing, selling or offering for sale Ribeiro’s copyright and 7 likeness in the Fortnite game; 8 19. For an award of damages according to proof; 9 20. For punitive and/or exemplary damages; and 10 21. For attorney’s fees and costs; 11 As to All Causes of Action: 12 22. For costs of suit; and 13 23. For such other and further relief as the Court may deem proper. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Dated: December 17, 2018 Respectfully Submitted, Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP By: /s/Carolynn Kyungwon Beck Carolynn Kyungwon Beck Attorneys for Plaintiff Alfonso Ribeiro 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 – 22 – Complaint Case 2:18-cv-10412 Document 1 Filed 12/17/18 Page 24 of 24 Page ID #:24 1 2 3 JURY TRIAL Plaintiff Alfonso Ribeiro requests a trial by jury on all issues to which it is entitled a jury. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Dated: December 17, 2018 Respectfully Submitted, Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP By: /s/Carolynn Kyungwon Beck Carolynn Kyungwon Beck Carolynn Kyungwon Beck (SBN 264703) cbeck@piercebainbridge.com Daniel Dubin (SBN 313235) ddubin@piercebainbridge.com 600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500 Los Angeles, California 90017-3212 (213) 262-9333 David L. Hecht (NY4695961) (pro hac vice admission pending) dhecht@piercebainbridge.com Maxim Price (NY684858) (pro hac vice admission pending) mprice@piercebainbridge.com Yi Wen Wu (NY5294475) (pro hac vice admission pending) wwu@piercebainbridge.com 20 West 23rd Street, Fifth Floor New York, New York 10010 (212) 484-9866 Attorneys for Plaintiff Alfonso Ribeiro 28 – 23 – Complaint

Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.


Why Is My Information Online?