Activision Blizzard recently used a phrase from Anthony Fantano, a popular content creator on TikTok, to promote Crash Bandicoot sneakers.
Activision Blizzard drops lawsuit against TikTok user
Video game developer Activision Blizzard has decided to drop the lawsuit against Anthony Fantano. The famous TikToker Fantano had threatened the company after an audio clip was used without his consent and authorization. To give a little more context on this situation, it is worth remembering that Activision Blizzard initiated a legal process where Anthony Fantano, better known as “TheNeedleTok” in TikTok, was sued. Activision Blizzard filed the lawsuit after Fantano contacted them and threatened to sue them for using the audio from one of their videos.
The audio used by Activision Blizzard is from a video of Fantano, where the content creator is doing a duet with another video. In said clip, Fantano shouts, “That’s enough slices,” as he watches the other user cut a pizza into smaller and smaller pieces. Apparently, this video went viral shortly after its publication and quickly became an internet meme. As a result, the video has been reused numerous times in recent years, and Activision claims that Fantano celebrates the fact that it has been used so many times.
However, when Activision Blizzard used Fantano’s “that’s enough servings” audio in a TikTok video to promote Crash Bandicoot sneakers, the content creator contacted them. Apparently, Fantano threatened the company with a lawsuit for using his work without consent.
Activision immediately took the lead and filed a lawsuit against Fantano. The company alleged that the content creator had sent a letter asking them to remove the video and demanding a settlement for using his audio. For its part, Activision responded by denying wrongdoing. However, it removed the video from TikTok’s account anyway “to avoid litigation and without admitting liability.”
Activision’s video complied with TikTok’s rules
Activision, at the time, stated that its video complied with TikTok’s rules. On the other hand, Activision claims that in TikTok’s terms of service, all users who upload videos grant third parties the right to “modify, adapt, reproduce or make derivative works of their content.”
However, as noted above, Activision Blizzard has withdrawn the lawsuit.
“Plaintiff at this moment dismisses this action in its entirety, including without limitation all claims alleged herein, with prejudice.”
It is unknown at this time whether Fantano’s lawsuit is still ongoing, as he has yet to comment on the matter.