Charli XCX's Apple Ad Choreographer Sues Roblox

TikTok creator Kelley Heyer, who went viral with a dance she created for Charli XCX’s track “Apple,” is now taking Roblox to court. She claims the platform used her "Apple Dance" in-game and profited from it without her consent.

For those not up to speed on youth trends, the "Apple Dance" is exactly what it sounds like: a popular choreography designed by Heyer and spread on TikTok to Charli XCX’s “Apple.” The routine gained massive traction—so much so that Charli XCX even gave it a shoutout during her tour and posted it on her official TikTok account.

Unsurprisingly, Roblox wanted to include the Apple Dance as part of a collaboration between Charli XCX and one of its most played titles—the fashion contest game Dress to Impress. As reported by Polygon, Heyer filed suit last week in California, stating that Roblox had initially reached out to license the dance. Heyer was open to licensing the choreography under the right terms—she had already done so with Fortnite and Netflix through formal, signed agreements—but no deal was ever finalized with Roblox.

According to the complaint, Roblox released the Apple Dance emote for sale during the event before negotiations concluded—and without Heyer’s approval. Heyer says Roblox sold more than 60,000 copies of the emote, generating an estimated $123,000 in revenue. The lawsuit also contends that while the emote was part of a Charli XCX promotion, the dance itself is not tied to the song or the artist and is purely Heyer’s intellectual property.

The suit accuses Roblox of copyright infringement and unjust enrichment, seeking recovery of all profits made from the emote, along with damages for harm to Heyer’s brand and reputation, plus legal fees.

Update 2:15 p.m. PT: Heyer’s attorney, Miki Anzai, issued this statement: “Roblox proceeded to use Kelley’s intellectual property without a signed contract. As an independent creator, Kelley deserves fair payment for her work. We felt litigation was our only recourse. We remain ready to settle and hope to resolve this matter amicably.”