The Pokémon Company has received a settlement for damages and a public apology from the company behind "Pocket Masters: Remake," which it shared across all media platforms.
Released in 2021, "Pocket Monster: Remake's" Chinese developers apologized for infringing on the rights of The Pokémon Company.
This stemmed from the accusation that "Pocket Monster: Remake" infringed on the intellectual property of the "Pokémon" franchise.
'Pocket Monsters: Remake' Issues Apology For Blatant Infringement
The Pokémon Company has published the full apology letter shared by Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology Co., Ltd., the makers of "Pocket Monsters: Remake" after a lengthy four-year fight.
The Pokémon Company, which owns all the rights behind the "Pokémon" franchise, has pursued the Chinese company for its blatant disregard for its intellectual property.
The Pokémon Company filed the suit in Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in Guangzhou Province, with the court initially ruling against the Chinese company and ordering them to pay 107 million Chinese yuan (approximately $14.8 million).
The Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology has appealed the initial ruling, according to IGN, with the result of the settlement appeal only announced this week.
"Our copyright infringement and acts of unfair competition have caused significant economic losses to the rights holders and severely damaged the image of the original Pokémon Video Games. We hereby sincerely apologize to TPC and other rights holders, as well as the vast number of players, consumers, and the general public," said Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology Co., Ltd. in its apology letter.
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The Pokémon Company Wins Lawsuit Against Chinese Copycat
The Pokémon Company and Nintendo are known to prioritize preventing copycats from stealing their intellectual property, especially for a franchise as massive as "Pokémon." This landmark case against the mobile game "Pocket Monsters: Remake" stands as proof that the company wants to protect its IP at all costs, especially from a game that faced significant fame when it was released.
It was revealed that the Chinese game's app icon featured a direct copy of "Pokemon's" most famous Electric-type mouse, Pikachu, with the company not changing any element behind the beloved creature.
Moreover, the game also infringed on the likes of Ash Ketchum, Tepig, and Oshawott. Like Pikachu, Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology did not change a thing in their appearance.
The Pokémon Company has long fought for its intellectual property rights against those that try to copy the game or create an alternate version that builds from their iconic franchise blatantly or even in the most subtle of ways.
It is worth noting that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company also have another ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit against a fellow Japanese company, PocketPair Inc., due to the highly popular alt-Pokemon-like game, "Palworld."
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Originally published on Player One
