The Pokémon Company International sues fan-run party
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The Pokémon Company International has issued a lawsuit against a group organizing a Pokémon-themed party at PAX Prime, alleging copyright violation.
The "5th Annual Unofficial Pokemon PAX Kickoff Party" was going to be run on August 27, 2015 at 9 pm. Tickets for the event were $2 each, and were sold out prior to the event. The court filings included a Facebook post that indicated that the event had sold more than 30 tickets as of August 11. The lawsuit resulted in the event being cancelled.
The party was promoted as containing "Pokemon themed shots and drinks - Smash Bros. Tournament with cash prize - Dancing - Giveaways - Cosplay Contest and more", and an "AMAZIN POKEMON MASHUP".
The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, The Pokémon Company International being based in Washington.
Images of Pikachu and Snivy were used in a poster to promote the event, which the lawsuit cites as one of the pieces of evidence for copyright infringement. Another image of Pikachu, which was used to promote the event in a Facebook post, was also cited as evidence.
The lawsuit also asserts that the previous versions of this annual event, held from 2011 to 2014, also infringed on The Pokémon Company International's copyright.