Back in 2019 The Pokemon Company said it was looking to sue the people who leaked details on its Sword and Shield games. Last year, the company identified who they were going to sue. Another year has gone by, and now we learn that the two people involved in the process will have to pay US$150000 (~RM625000) each.
Fresh court documents show that The Pokemon Company has reached a US$300000 settlement with the two leakers. The document shows the company referring to them as having “stole secrets” by taking “illicit pictures from an unreleased strategy guide”.
One of the leakers got access to the unreleased strategy guide by virtue of being employed by the company that prints it. The other got the images via group chat, and posted them onto Discord, which then started to spread to the public.
One could say that The Pokemon Company is especially heavy handed with Sword and Shield. Though it’s not difficult to see why. The game had a contentious announcement, which revealed that over half its roster built up over two decades won’t be returning. With the leaks confirming that, it’s likely that the company saw it as a threat to its sales numbers. Not that it ultimately made a difference.
And despite this legal precedent, we are more than likely to see another round of leaks when it’s time for the ninth generation. Though it’s anyone’s guess if it will be as contentious as this one.
(Source: CourtListener via Eurogamer)
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