Several months ago, multiple lawsuits bombarded Epic Games' Fortnite, concerning the alleged use of dances without permission. Now, reports reveal that the plaintiffs recently dropped the charges, at least temporarily.

Among those who filed a legal case against Fortnite, includes Rachel McCumbers, the mother of Orange Shirt Kid who filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son. Also involved are rapper 2 Milly, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor Alfonso Ribeiro known for popularizing the "Carlton Dance," and Backpack Kid. These group of individuals who are currently after Epic Games took issue with the fact that Fortnite is allegedly profiting from the dances popularly attributed to them. Fortnite incorporated the dance moves into the game via emotes, which players can have access to through the purchase of a Battle Pass, or as a standalone purchase.

The decision to hit pause on the lawsuit was after the discovery of an unrelated case that led the United States Supreme Court to rule that a copyright registration process must be completed first before any legal action is taken for alleged copyright infringement. Given this, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the plaintiffs, who are all represented by the same legal firm, decided to drop the case temporarily until the copyright registration process for their respective cases is completed.

While the move to drop the lawsuits as a procedural tactic makes sense, the plaintiffs still face the challenge of having their respective registrations approved. A few weeks ago, Ribeiro, who submitted a copyright claim for the "Carlton Dance," had his application denied by the U.S. Copyright Office, that concluded that emotes were too short and are merely a "simple dance routine" to be protected under copyright law.

floss dance emote fortnite

As the lawsuits against Fortnite gained attention a few months prior, a lawyer on YouTube posted a video explaining his professional insights on the merit of the case against Epic Games. The YouTuber, who goes by the name of LegalEagle, concluded that although the plaintiffs have a valid point that emotes are instantly recognizable and should be protected by copyright law, Epic Games might still have the upper hand in the legal battle given that Fortnite emotes are short, rather than a complex choreographed dance. Of course, the case can go either way given that both parties have a valid point behind their respective arguments, but it is interesting to see who will win the legal battle in the end.

Fortnite is available now in early access on Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter