Zendaya is Meechee, Glup Shitto is in Star Wars, and the “Apple” dance creator is suing Roblox. Kelley Heyer, who created the TikTok dance to Charli XCX’s song “Apple” that went viral last year, is suing Roblox for using the dance without authorization, per Polygon. In her lawsuit, which was filed April 11, Heyer alleges that she and Roblox were in negotiations for the dance to be licensed as a purchasable “Emote” on the platform, which Roblox released before the deal was finalized. The dance was sold on the platform’s “Dress to Impress” as part of a Brat-themed pack. Heyer has a copyright on the dance, but she submitted the copyright application on August 30, days after the Emote was released on August 12. The dance is no longer available to purchase on Roblox.
“Roblox moved forward using Kelley’s IP without a signed agreement,” attorney Miki Anzai told Polygon. “Kelley is an independent creator who should be compensated fairly for her work and we saw no other option than to file suit to prove that. We remain willing and open to settle and hope to come to a peaceful agreement.” Roblox responded with a statement as well, saying, “As a platform powered by a community of creators, Roblox takes the protection of intellectual property very seriously and is committed to protecting intellectual property rights of independent developers and creators to brands and artists both on and off the platform.” Heyer has licensed the dance to Netflix and Fortnite. In the lawsuit, Heyer is asking for Roblox’s profits off the dance — estimated in the lawsuit to be $123,000 — and other damages. First, that girl getting up in the camera during the Sweat tour, and now this …
