Pokemon Wins Copyright Case Against Pocket Monster RPG, But It Isn’t Palworld

Sep 17, 2024, 7:01 PM

A serious blow has been struck in the clone wars – but I’m not talking Star Wars. The Pokemon Company has just won a major copyright infringement lawsuit, costing another developer a reported $15 million. This potentially changes the game for others looking to make a few quick Pokedollars.

The Pokemon Company’s lawsuit took aim at the companies that developed and published Pocket Monster Reissue. The turn-based mobile game released in 2015 and includes what appears to be blatant copies of characters from the Pokemon franchise, including iconic characters Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. Pocket Monster Reissue experienced a fair amount of success, with The South China Morning Post reporting that it made over $40 million in a single year.

The Pokemon Company filed a $72 million copyright infringement lawsuit against the makers of Pocket Monster Reissue in 2021. Today, the company announced that it won the case, and PMR was found to be in violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law. One of the six developers in question was ordered to pay over $15 million in damages, while three others are to bear joint liability. As of now, the three offending companies are filing an appeal against the decision, according to IGN.

While this is a definite win for the Pokemon franchise, the overall battle against the clones is far from over. This past January, Nintendo took aim at the ridiculously blatant and unoriginal Poke-Zoo IP. In that same month, The Pokemon Company issued a somewhat vague statement regarding Palworld, the popular “Pokemon with Guns” game: “We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokemon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokemon.”