Hollowhead, a pumpkin-headed Fortnite skin. | Epic Games
Fortnite creator Epic Games is trying to avoid yet another lawsuit over dance emotes. The company preemptively filed a complaint against Matt Geiler, also known as the “Dancing Pumpkin Man” from a 2006 viral video. Geiler reportedly told Epic to stop offering a Halloween-themed emote called “Pump It Up,” which copies his dance and briefly gives avatars a jack-o’-lantern for a head. Now, Epic is asking courts to declare that it didn’t infringe Geiler’s trademark or copyright.
Epic has faced several lawsuits over dance emotes, including one from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro. But this case is a little different. Where most suits have hinged purely on dance moves, Geiler apparently says the combined dance and pumpkin head…