Creator of Viral Charli XCX Apple Dance Sues Roblox for Using Dance in Dress to Impress Without Permission

Kelley Heyer, a TikTok influencer and creator of a viral creation to Charli XCX's opus "Apple", is suing Roblox, alleging it utilized the "Apple Dance" successful the crippled and profited disconnected her enactment without her permission.

If you're not precisely up connected the hep trends of the youth, the "Apple Dance" is precisely what it says connected the tin: a catchy creation conceived by Heyer and shared via TikTok to Charli XCX's opus "Apple". The creation has go incredibly popular, to the constituent of being shouted retired successful Charli XCX's circuit and shared connected Charli XCX's TikTok.

So it's unsurprising that Roblox wanted the Apple Dance arsenic portion of a collaboration betwixt Charli XCX and 1 of the astir fashionable games wrong Roblox: originative manner contention crippled Dress to Impress. Spotted by Polygon, the suit successful question was filed past week successful California, successful which Heyer claims that originally, Robox did interaction her to licence the Apple Dance for the crossover event. Heyer says that she was unfastened to the thought of the creation being licensed if the presumption were close - she adjacent licensed it to Fortnite and Netflix via actual, signed agreements - but ne'er reached an existent statement with Roblox.

Heyer alleges that Robox released the Apple Dance emote for merchantability successful the lawsuit earlier negotiations were ever completed and without Heyer giving her consent for its use. Heyer says that Roblox sold implicit 60,000 Apple Dance emotes, resulting successful an estimated $123,000 successful sales. The suit besides argues that portion the emote was a portion of a Charli XCX event, the creation emote itself is unattached to the opus oregon Charli XCX, and frankincense is solely Heyer's intelligence property.

The suit accuses Roblox of copyright infringement and unjust enrichment, and requests alleviation successful the signifier of the profits Roblox received from the creation positive damages arsenic a effect of Roblox harming Heyer's marque and Heyer herself, positive attorney's fees.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].