One of the biggest entertainment companies in the world that supplies millions of people with joy and happiness, sued a local cafe owner for Copyright Infringement of one of their creations.
Pokemon is one of the biggest games in the world and is played by all ages. The games have been around since 1996 originating in Japan then making its debut in America and the rest of the world in 1998. The games consist of over 700 creatures that players can train and battle with, some of the most known ones are Pikachu, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charizard. These characters along with hundreds of others have made a huge impact on millions of lives, creating loyal fans from all different ages.
One super fan is Ramar Larkin Jones wonder of a small cafe in Seattle, Washington. Jones used to throw Pokemon themed parties at his cafe to celebrate the beginning of the PAX gaming convention that was until the Pokemon Company came after him.
The lawsuit took place back in 2015. It was unusual for the Pokemon Company to go straight for a lawsuit with Jones because in other instances normally the Pokemon Company would first send a cease and desist letter to whom it may concern before taking any legal action. This time they went straight for the lawsuit. The Pokemon Company claimed that Jones was violating Copyright laws by using Pikachu and Snivy (Pokemon from the games) and reproducing them in his work and upon reproducing such Pokemon he then displayed the work publicly. There were more Pokemon that he did use in his work for the party, including Bulbasaur, Charmander, Ditto, Gengar, Meowth, Oshawott, and Squirtle, but the court would only acknowledge Pikachu and Snivy for copyright infringement.
Jones' use of such Pokemon does not fall under fair use of the works because it is being used for commercial use. Therefore, Jones is going to have to pay for what he has done. His punishment ended up being a $10,000 fine that would be paid directly to the Pokemon Company International, and everything he posted about the event with Pokemon in it or just anything related to Pokemon he posted must be taken down immediately.
Comments