Dancing Pumpkin Man Threatens To Sue Epic Games, Epic Sues Him Back

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Being one of the most successful video game companies in the world makes you a pretty big target for lawsuits, and Epic Games is no exception. The billion-dollar company behind everyone’s favourite love-to-hate game, Fortnite, has faced a number of lawsuits over the years. Now the company is clapping back.

As told by The Verge [via PCGamer], the story began earlier this year, when everyone’s favourite Dancing Pumpkin Man (otherwise known as Matt Geiler) sent Epic a cease-and-desist.

Credit: Epic Games

Geiler claimed that Epic was using his likeness for Fortnite’s ‘Pump It Up’ emote, and sent the cease-and-desist demanding Epic remove the emote from the game. The dispute escalated without a resolution in sight, and now Epic has also filed a lawsuit against Geiler, seeking a preemptive ruling that it didn’t infringe on Geiler’s copyright or trademark.

Epic wants the court to declare that the company isn’t breaking any rules before Geiler even files a lawsuit. Epic is also asking for legal fees, expenses, and “other, further, and different relief as the Court deems just and proper.”

Of course, when you’re a big company you can expect to have some of the best legal reps in the world, and Epic has gone pretty hard with its filing.

Epic is disputing Geiler’s claim that he’s the creator of the pumpkin-headed character, citing that Geiler made the mask from “a preexisting, third-party Halloween jack-o-lantern decoration from his company’s holiday lobby display.”

Credit: Epic Games

The story gets a little muddy as Epic is also claiming that Geiler has “already granted Epic Games a license to the ‘character,’ the Video, and the content therein.” This has seemingly been confirmed by Polygon after the publication found evidence in a Facebook comment and a MEL Magazine story.

Credit: Epic Games

This isn’t the first legal case involving Epic and it almost certainly won’t be the last.

Featured Image Credit: Epic Games