'Carlton Dance' refused copyright registration

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It's not unusual for the "Carlton Dance" to be loved by anyone, but the US Copyright Office apparently doesn't think it's all that special.

Former "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star Alfonso Ribeiro has been involved in a lawsuit with Take-Two Interactive, publisher of the video game "NBA 2K," and the publisher of "Fortnite" over avatars in the games being able to do the dance that his character popularized on the hit '90s sitcom.

A letter from Saskia Florence, a supervisory registration specialist with the US Copyright Office, to Ribeiro's attorney, David Hecht, surfaced this week as part of federal court documents in California.

In the correspondence, Florence wrote that the moves are "a simple dance routine."

"As such, it is not registrable as a choreographic work," the letter stated.

She also wrote an explanation of the choreography in which "the dancer sways their hips as they step from side to side, while swinging their arms in an exaggerated manner."

Florence wrote, "This single dance step is not registrable as a choreographic work. Accordingly, your application for registration is refused."

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