Cease and desist
Image: The Pokémon Company
The Pokémon Company has taken an Australian crypto company to court over the unauthorised use of characters from the Pokémon franchise in an NFT game.
As reported by Vooks, an Australian company called ‘Pokémon Pty Ltd’ (also known as Kotiota Studios) had set up a website advertising an upcoming NFT title called PokéWorld. In addition, Pokémon Pty Ltd had claimed to have worked on official Pokémon titles such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon HOME, and Pokémon Sleep, however The Pokémon Company has clarified that the company is not a contractor for it.
The game itself essentially allows you to choose a starting Pokémon from a sparse list including Pikachu, Charmander, and Eevee. You can then participate in battles to earn recources and “$POKESHARD” currency to assist in the creature’s care. in-game items like clothing, poisons, amulets, and food are minted as NFTs for players to trade on the marketplace. Sounds like an absolute nightmare, if you ask us.
Here’s some more “official” info:
“PokeWorld is a metaverse P2E game filled with fascinating Pokemon that players can collect as pets. Enjoy raising your Pokemon by feeding and evolving them, or watch them take on others in exciting battles! This metaverse has a player-owned economy where players can truly own, buy, sell, and trade in-game resources earned through skilled gameplay and ecosystem contributions.
“Getting started in the game requires researching all available Pokemon to choose the one that you feel the closest to. Remember, it will become your beloved pet that needs care! If you don’t care for its needs, you will doom it to unhappiness, just like a real pet. With your fates now closely intertwined, it is up to you to seek out your Pokemon, bond with it, train, and eventually fulfill your mutual destinies. You’ll only reach the top together, so protect and enrich your Pokemon’s life. The path ahead may be challenging, but you can count on it to be fulfilling!”
Naturally, none of this sat particularly well with The Pokémon Company, who was allegedly tipped off when Pokémon Pty Ltd had the audacity to approach media outlets in an effort to drum up support. The first court hearing occurred on December 21st, 2022 with representatives for The Pokémon Company in attendance, however no one from Pokémon Pty Ltd turned up. Says a lot really, doesn’t it?
Nevertheless, Pokémon Pty Ltd has effectively been barred from using officially licensed Pokémon characters from the media franchise, releasing Pokémon-branded NFTs, and for misrepresenting its relationship with The Pokémon Company.
What do you make of this news? Are you in any way surprised? Let us know with a comment!
[source classic.austlii.edu.au, via vooks.net]