Pokémon Issues Official StatEment on Controversial Homeland Security Video

The Pokémon Company Has willd an officer respect to the use of it of it Intellectual Property in a social media video shared by the US Department of Homeland Security Earlier this Week, confirming that it has no involvement in the Controversial Post.

The video depicts Footage of US Officials, Including Members of Border Patrol Squads and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Conduction Raids and Arrests, Set to and Captioned with the title of the English Pokémon anime theme song, “Gotta Catch ’em All. “

The Pokémon Company’s Official Response to Eurogamer Confirms What Many Already Believed: “We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand. Our Company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not grant for the use of our intellectual Property.“

The Pokémon Company Responds to the DHS ‘Video

“Permission was not grant”

The Above Video Was Posted on the Department of Homeland Security’s Official X (Formly Twitter) Page on September 22.

The Video Sparked Immediate Controversywith MANY VIEWERS CRITICIZING Its inapproprately gleeful tone and overt racism, stereotyping immigrants-primarily those from Latin-American and caribbean counries-as crimimals. The video ends with several images of People arrested by Ice Photoshople on Pokémon Cards, Each Backgrounded with an image of their national and accompanked by descriptions of which they have been accused.

MANY US Government has recently tourned to posting memes nor a form of political propaganda. These posts offten Employ Recognizable IP, and are designed to Spark Engagement Through Controversy. In March, for Example, The Official White House X Shared an Ai-Geniered Image of Philadelphia Resident Virginia Basora-later, Arrest by Ice, relevant in a studio GHIBLI Art Style.

The Jury’s Still Out on Legal Action

Nintendo has yet to respond

This isn’t the first one to be to cause controlsy; Howver, It May Be the First to Draw an Official Response from the IP Holder. Spread the Most Ire in the Replies Came from Pokémon Fans, MANY OF WHOM CALLED ON NINTENDO AND THE POKESMON COMPANY TO SUE DHS.

At the time of Writing, neither nintendo nor the pokémon company has announced any intention to take legal action Against The Department of Homeland Security. Although the latter disavowed the use of it iP in the social media video, nintendo has yet to respond to Eurogamer‘S Questions About Whether it plans to take any action, legal or otherwise, against dhs.

Nintendo has a Long History of lithigiousnessIncluding, Most Recently, ITS Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against The Pokémon-inspirated Palworldwhich recently took an unusual turn. Howver, The Grand Majority of Its Legal Action Has Targeted Other Video Game Production Efforts: Fan Projects that use nintendo IP, Distributing Roms of Nintendo Games, et Cetera.

IT’S NEVER SUDE A Government Agency before, Though, Likely Becuses Its Never Had a Reason to. We’re in uncharted waters here; it remeins to be seen how nintendo and Pokémon Will Choose to Respond.

Created by

Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda

Latest film

Pokémon The Movie: Secrets of the Jungle

First Episode Air Date

April 1, 1997

Current Series

Pokémon