December 18, 2018
Bloomberg Law
Several celebrities, including rapper 2 Milly, actor Alfonso Ribeiro, and internet star Russell Horning, have recently filed suit against the maker of the online video game Fortnite, accusing the company, Epic Games, of using their famous dance moves without permission. The lawsuits allege copyright infringement and aim to defend the celebrities' right to publicity, given that they are so closely associated with the respective dance moves. Bloomberg Law reached to Finnegan attorney Margaret Esquenet for her thoughts on the recent lawsuits.
While Margaret doubts the dance moves would be entitled to copyright protection, she said, "I think it’s going to be a right-to-publicity case. That’s where I think the most interesting arguments are. The plaintiffs could say ‘This is me, part of my persona, that you are intending to copy and provide a commercial product that is evocative of me in this game."
Award/Ranking
Finnegan Tops the 2024 World Trademark Review 1000, Receiving New Regional Accolade
February 13, 2024
Press Release
Finnegan Expands German IP Practice with New Trademark Partner in Munich
December 11, 2023
Commentary
Westlaw Owner's Dispute with AI Startup Over Legal Data Moves to Jury Trial
September 27, 2023
Due to international data regulations, we’ve updated our privacy policy. Click here to read our privacy policy in full.
We use cookies on this website to provide you with the best user experience. By accepting cookies, you agree to our use of cookies. Please note that if you opt not to accept or if you disable cookies, the “Your Finnegan” feature on this website will be disabled as well. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our Privacy Policy.
Finnegan is thrilled to announce the launch of our new blog, Ad Law Buzz, devoted solely to breaking news, developments, trends, and analysis in advertising law.