The Pokémon Company recently announced its $15 million (or Php833 million) legal victory in an intellectual property lawsuit against a Chinese mobile gaming company and its Pokémon-look-a-like game called Pocket Monster Reissue, or Koudaiyaoguai Fuke.
The game in question is a turn-based role-playing game (RPG) featuring identifiable Pokémon characters and design, including Ash Ketchum, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, and Pikachu, all used without proper legal documentation since it was released in 2015. It has also been reported that the game earned around $42 million annually, partly by evading legal procedures.
Here’s a preview of the Pocket Monster Reissue:
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The Japanese game publisher’s legal complaint over intellectual property rights infringement started on December 3, 2021, against six Chinese companies operating the copycat Pokémon game. However, the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court’s landmark decision was only released on September 17, 2024, ordering the payment of 107 million Chinese yuan ($15.1 million) almost three years later.
In a related report by the South China Morning Post, the Pokémon Company initially insisted on a payment of $72 million in damages and public apologies from the companies involved.
Despite the payment being significantly slashed to only $15 million, the legal victory was a big step forward against other existing legal battles by the Pokémon Company and its parent, Nintendo.
Via: Nintendo Life