LogInThe Japanese company is claiming damages of $72.4 million and asking for public apologies from the relevant companies.
The Pokémon Company, a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the Pokémon franchise, has filed a lawsuit against six Chinese companies over a mobile game that it says is infringing copyrights.
As reported by South China Morning Post, the six companies allegedly have been operating the Chinese game dubbed Pocket Monster Reissue without permission since 2015, which is why The Pokémon Company is now seeking compensation of 500 million yuan (around $72.4 million) and is asking for public apologies from the relevant companies.
The company informed investors that it applied to the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court to order the companies to stop the development, distribution, operation, and promotion of the mobile title, as the filing reads.
Pocket Monster Reissue is a mobile game where players collect Pokémon-like creatures and battle them in a turn-based system. The game is said to feature artwork similar to popular Pokémon characters. Judging by gameplay recordings on Chinese video websites, most of the monsters have an original design, however, some of them look just like creatures from Pokémon.
One of the defendants, Jiangyin Zhongnan Heavy Industries Co, reported in 2016, a year after Pocket Monster Reissue's release, that the title had already brought in a total of 300 million yuan ($43.4 million) by that period, with a monthly turnover reaching over 30 million yuan ($4.3 million).
Currently, Pocket Monster Reissue reportedly remains available on various Chinese app stores.
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