The Pokémon Companyhas been awarded 15 million dollars in damages and a formal apology from the creators ofPocket Monster: Remakeafter a longwinded lawsuit.Pocket Monster: Remakewas initially launched back in 2015, and it took until 2021 for The Pokémon Company to file a lawsuit against the developers for copyright infringement.
The mobile game was nearly identical toPokémonand has been found guilty of using art, designs, names, and more from existingPokémontitles. After 10 years and a lawsuit lasting nearly 5 years,The Pokémon Company has finally reached a “mediated settlement” with the developers of the mobile title, and not only will they get a hefty sum back for the damages caused, but the company has apologized for “constituting acts of unfair competition.”
According toAutomaton,The Pokémon Company released a formal statement on February 19that confirmed the outcome of this lawsuit, after having updated fans of the franchise about the ruling of the suit back in September 2024.
Pocket Monster: Remake Devs Have Apologized To The Pokémon Company
It Seems The Creators Have Taken Accountability For Their Actions
While The Pokémon Company did initially file the suit in 2021, and the case was ruled in their favor back in 2024, the numbers on the settlement amount remained a bit cloudy until today. This was because the two of the companies namedin the lawsuitended up filing appeals against the initial ruling. The lawsuit is said to have included “multiple companies” involved in the creation and launch of the mobile titlePocket Monster: Remake, also referred to asThe Pocket Journey.
Palworld Devs Share Unexpected Nintendo Lawsuit Info, The Pokémon Company Is Seeking Over 5 million Yen
The Palworld developers at Pocketpair have shed a bit more light on the ongoing copyright lawsuit with The Pokémon Company, and it’s interesting.
The mobile game itself has been taken off the market completely, making details about the title sparse, but we do know it featured iconic characters, includingAsh Ketchum and Pikachu.The mobile turn-based title had made nearly $42 million in a single year, so it’s easy to see why The Pokémon Company initially asked for $72 million in damages to be paid out alongside the apology. Additionally,The Pokémon Company asked for the apology to be posted across all social media platforms publicly by all the companies involved.
Our Take: The Pokémon Company Is No Stranger To Copyright Infringement
But This Lawsuit Is A Bit Different From Others We Have Seen
Pokémonis one of the most well-known franchises across the globe, and it is not shocking that others want to attempt to bank off of its success. While this is a very blatant copycat, even using the same IPs and character names, other lawsuits fromThe Pokémon Companyarenot as cut and dry. Luckily, it seems that the devs at Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology Co. have learned their lesson from this, as clearly stated in their apology.
