Summary
- The Pokemon Company won a $15 million lawsuit against a Chinese company for copying Pokemon characters in a video game.
- The Pokemon Company has a history of shutting down games over claims of cloning Pokemon titles.
- Despite legal actions against some Pokemon-like games, others like Palworld haven't faced legal complaints.
The Pokemon Company has won a $15 million copyright infringement lawsuit against a Chinese company that copied Pokemon characters in its video game. Over the years, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have taken down various games over claims of cloning Pokemon titles.
Since the first Pokemon games were released in 1996, the franchise has become a multi-billion-dollar brand and gathered a massive fanbase. Because of its fun creature-collecting premise, players are constantly looking for games that resemble Pokemon's gameplay. This has prompted multiple Pokemon copycat games to be launched over time, with some becoming very popular among fans. However, The Pokemon Company is known for its rigidness when it comes to copyright infringement and has managed to shut down games, mods, and even fan projects over plagiarism claims. Now, the company has gained yet another legal victory against a Pokemon clone.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Could Feature Improved Riding Mechanics
A patent from The Pokemon Company suggests that Pokemon Legends: Z-A will feature its own ride Pokemon complete with new mechanics and animations.
As reported by GamesBiz and translated by Automaton, on September 17, The Pokemon Company announced it had won a copyright infringement case over the turn-based mobile game Pocket Monster Reissue, which featured several Pokemon characters, including Ash Ketchum, Pikachu, Charmeleon, Jigglypuff, Oshawott, and others. The lawsuit was first filed against six China-based companies behind Pocket Monster Reissue back in 2021. The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court has acknowledged the plagiarism and determined that one of the companies will have to pay 107 million yuan (around $15 million) in damages. Another three of the remaining developers and publishers were requested to bear joint liability, though they have since filed an appeal. As reported by The South China Morning Post in 2022, Pocket Monster Reissue, also known as Koudaiyaoguai Fuke, was launched in 2015 and earned upwards of $42 million in its first year.
The Pokemon Company Wins $15 Million Copyright Case
Initially, The Pokemon Company had filed a $72 million lawsuit against the developers of Pocket Monster Reissue and demanded public apologies from the Chinese companies. This isn't the first time that The Pokemon Company has come after a game for copyright infringement. In 2016, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company shut down the fan project Pokemon Uranium after almost a decade of development. Years later, in 2018, the companies also took down Pokemon Essentials, a tool that fans used to create their own Pokemon games.
Not all Pokemon-like games are this harshly targeted by The Pokemon Company, though. Such is the luck of the famous Palworld, an open-world title dubbed "Pokemon with guns" developed by Pocket Pair. Although Nintendo stated that it would investigate copyright infringement on the game, Palworld didn't receive any legal complaints from The Pokemon Company. Since its release, Palworld has become a huge success among players and recent rumors hint at a PlayStation release in the future.
Despite The Pokemon Company not taking legal action against Pocket Pair, the comparisons between Palworld and Pokemon remain active among players. Other Pokemon titles like Pokemon GO have also inspired several games with similar gameplay. A new game called Miraibo GO was recently revealed and combines both Palworld and Pokemon GO features. Meanwhile, The Pokemon Company is focusing on its next big release, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, expected in 2025.
- Created by
- Satoshi Tajiri
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more.