Australian company faces lawsuit from Pokemon for NFT collection
A legal battle has broken out between Pokemon Company International and Pokemon Pty Ltd over trademark infringement by the Australian company for their NFT collectible game, which is based on the original version.
Kotiota Studios recently launched a monetization game said to be inspired by its own franchise.
The Pokemon Company has claimed that the Australian company cannot use the word Pokemon in the game and the branding of the game as it may confuse customers. The company has requested compensation and an injunction regarding the use of the said word. The company has also sought the destruction of all material related to the NFT game. Kotiota Studios will likely have to remove its advertising and promotional materials for all platforms.
Pokeworld is a virtual game powered by the NFT mechanism, which allows players to trade creatures. The same is not the case with the original version. The Pokemon Company and Nintendo have never announced plans to support their game with non-fungible tokens.
Kotiota Studios is currently trying to enter the realm of NFT games. This comes after the gaming segment, and the NFT segment joined together for mutual growth in the time to come. When integrated, the virtual world gives players the freedom to own and trade virtual assets with other players. They have the option to keep NFT as well.
The lawsuit shows that there is an urgent need to protect intellectual property as the NFT business grows.
All eyes are on the case’s development. It serves as a reminder to others in the industry that their branding and marketing methods require caution.
Pokemon continues to generate buzz despite the lawsuit. The official website has not yet confirmed whether it will have NFTs in the final launch. Until then, it continues to boast that the game will be powered by NFT, allowing players to buy and sell virtual creatures.
The decision to file a lawsuit was made public in recent days after the Australian company announced that it was preparing to launch its NFT game. The Japanese animation series is worth billions. Creating and launching PokeWorld poses a serious threat to the original version of the game.
According to Pokemon Pty, it has worked with the international company on several projects, including Pokemon Violet, Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Home. It is an unreleased project titled Pokemon sleep.
Despite the existence of the website, a request to remove the content is sent. The Pokemon Company has petitioned the Federal Court to prevent the Australian company from infringing its trademark.
If the Pokemon Company wins in court; the game would not be released because Kotiota Studios would be prevented from taking the necessary steps by law. On December 21, 2022, the first hearing was held, although no studio representatives were present.
