Pokémon Company takes Crypto Company to court over NFT games
The Pokémon Company has taken an Australian crypto company to court for unauthorized use of characters from 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 Pokemon sleepHowever, The Pokémon Company has clarified that the company is not a contractor for it.
The game itself essentially lets you choose a starter Pokémon from a sparse list including Pikachu, Charmander, and Eevee. You can then enter battles to earn money and “$POKESHARD” currency to aid your creature’s care. in-game items such as clothing, poisons, amulets, and food are marked as NFTs for players to trade in the marketplace. Sounds like an absolute nightmare, if you ask us.
Here is some more “official” information:
“PokeWorld is a metaverse P2E game filled with fascinating Pokémon that players can collect as pets. Enjoy raising your Pokémon by feeding and evolving them, or watching them face 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 game and ecosystem contributions.
“Getting started with the game requires you to research all available Pokémon to choose the one you feel closest to. Remember, it will be your beloved pet that needs care! If you don’t care about its needs, you will doom it to unhappiness , just like a real pet. With your destinies now closely intertwined, it’s up to you to seek out your Pokémon, bond with it, train it, and ultimately fulfill your shared destinies. You’ll only reach the top together, so protect and enrich Pokemon’s life. The road ahead may be challenging, but you can count on it to be satisfying!”
Naturally, none of this sat particularly well with The Pokémon Company, which was reportedly tipped off when Pokémon Pty Ltd had the audacity to approach the media in an attempt to drum up support. The first court hearing took place on 21 December 2022 with representatives of The Pokémon Company in attendance, but no one from Pokémon Pty Ltd appeared. Says a lot, doesn’t it?
Nevertheless, Pokémon Pty Ltd has effectively been banned from using officially licensed Pokémon characters from the media franchise, issuing Pokémon-branded NFTs, and for misrepresenting its relationship with The Pokémon Company.
What do you think of this news? Are you in any way surprised? Let us know with a comment!
