The Pokemon Company Is Suing “Pocket Monster Reissue” Publishers In China For Copyright Infringement

It looks like things may get dicey again for companies attempting to skive off the success of the popular Pokemon franchise.

The Pokemon Company is suing the six publishers behind Chinese mobile game “Pocket Monster Reissue” – citing copyright infringement and unfair competition behavior due to the continued distribution of the game. Overall, The Pokémon Company is asking for 500 million yuan (US$72.5 million) and public apologies from the relevant companies.

This news comes courtesy of a stock exchange filing on Thursday by one of the defendants in the case and one of the game’s publishers of Pocket Monster Reissue, Jiangyin Zhongnan Heavy Industries Co.

For what it’s worth, one glance at Pocket Monster Reissue will clearly show that the game shares more than a passing resemblance to official Pokemon titles – with official Pokemon artwork even being used to advertise the game on digital storefronts. Following its release in 2015, Pocket Monster Reissue reportedly earned more than 300 million yuan by 2016, with its monthly turnover exceeding 30 million yuan.

As at the time of writing, Pocket Monster Reissue is still available on various app storefronts in mainland China. We’ll report back if we hear more about this case in the future.