Nintendo is taking legal action against a Pokemon clone, but it ain't Palworld
Jan. 29, 2024Nintendo isn’t a big fan of PokeZoo
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Nintendo’s forever lawsuit-happy legal team is going after a new IP with an admittedly conspicuous likeness to Pokemon, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of.
As if there’s any ambiguity left, it’s notPalworldthat Nintendo is sending its lawyers after. WhilePalworld Pokemon modsare definitely being targeted, andNintendo has said it’s investigating potential copyright infringement by developer Pocketpair, the game itself has so far eludedThe Pokemon Company’s infamous wrath.
Instead, it’s a new trading card IP titled PokeZoo that’s the subject of a January 11 opposition filing from Nintendo of America, according to a report fromGame File’s Stephen Totilo.
As you can see in the above trademark filing for PokeZoo, there was never a world where Nintendo and The Pokemon Company were going to let this fly. The bright yellow logo; the creature that’s such a shameless ripoff of the Pokemon Gengar that, by comparison, the Palworld creature Anubis suddenly looks nothing like the Pokemon Lucario; the literal Fast Ball from Pokemon at the bottom of the logo - it’s all so blatant.
Doing a littlepokingaround onGoogle, I found even more egregious examples of PokeZoo’s apparent infringement. The top result includes some quick links on the company’s website, and among them is one with anchor text that straight-up reads “Pokemon”. Just below that is a shameless attempt to camp on the success of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, with a link to “Pokemon Elite Trainer Boxes.” I wonder if, by omitting the trademark accent over the ‘e’ in Pokemon, they reckoned they could get away with all this.
Further investigation reveals PokeZoo is described as a “Collectible Card Game with groundbreaking mechanics that break the 4th Wall.” A look at the company’s website reveals an incredibly sketchy looking store with 20 pages of cards and bundles, many of which are ostensibly sold out, ranging in price from $0.00 to $39,990 for an, ahem, “1 of 13 in the WORLD MetaZoo Cryptid Nation 1st Place Caster Mothman Trophy Card.” What a bargain.
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I would, uh, not expect that to last long, especially since we know Nintendo is already going after the IP.
Here are somegames like Pokemonthat are probably safe from Nintendo (for now).
After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer, I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.
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