The Pokémon series has spawned all sorts of questionable copycats over the years and while many projects come to an end with a quick takedown notice, sometimes these imitations end up extending their life or even profiting in some way or form.
With this in mind, The Pokémon Company has this week won a $15 million lawsuit against several Chinese companies accused of copyright infringement and intellectual property theft (thanks, Automaton).
This stems from a lawsuit, originally filed in December 2021, against six companies who were working on a turn-based mobile RPG called Pocket Monster Reissue. This game apparently “blatantly plagiarized” multiple character and creature designs from the popular series starring Ash and Pikachu.
Pocket Monster Reissue was released in 2015 and reportedly banked upwards of $42 million in just a single year. The Pokémon Company originally estimated around $72 million in damages and also demanded a public apology across social media platforms. Three of the companies named in the lawsuit have now filed an appeal.
The Pokémon Company has previously mentioned how it will always take “appropriate measures” to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokémon.
