Pokémon investigates Palworld over copycat claims

The Pokémon Company will be investigating the game Palworld for alleged copyright infringements to its Pokemon game assets.

“We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game,” the company said in a statement.

“We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon,” it added.

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The Pokémon Company also said that the investigations are in response to having received many inquiries regarding an unnamed game by another company released in January.

Released on 18 January this year by developer Pocketpair, Palworld (pictured left) is an open-world survival and crafting game where players can fight and catch creatures called ‘pals’.

The game was released in early access on January 19 on Steam and Xbox and has sold over eight million copies since, according to media reports. 

While Pokémon (pictured right) also includes the collecting and fighting of fictional creatures, Palword’s gameplay is more akin to action-adventure survival games such as Ark:Survival Evolved, said Takuro Mizobe, CEO of PocketPair as reported by Automaton.

Imitation may be said to be the greatest form of flattery, but copyright battles are rampant in a fast-paced world. In fact, UNIQLO's owner, Fast Retailing, recently filed a lawsuit against online fast-fashion marketplace SHEIN for selling replicas of its round mini shoulder bag.

According to Fast Retailing’s website, UNIQLO filed a lawsuit against Roadget Business, Fashion Choice and SHEIN JAPAN, operators of the retail brand SHEIN on 28 December 2023 in the Tokyo District Court. The Japanese apparel brand said that the sale of products took reference from the form of its round mini shoulder bag, and that this violates the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.

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