There was I thinking Pokémon was nothing more than a video game featuring completely made-up fantastical creatures that don’t exist in the real world. Then along came PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to educate me.
PETA has launched a new game on its site parodying Pokémon Black and White 2. Titled Pokémon Black and Blue it draws direct parallels between the fate of the creatures in the Nintendo game and real-life animals. Which is a publicity stunt at best, downright ludicrous at worst.
The description of the game reads:
“The amount of time that Pokémon spend stuffed in pokéballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to “perform” in circuses. But the difference between real life and this fictional world full of organized animal fighting is that Pokémon games paint rosy pictures of things that are actually horrible.”
Nintendo has responded with an official statement that reads:
“Nintendo and the Pokémon company take the inappropriate use of our products and intellectual property seriously.”
There may be a claim for fair use here as the PETA game is clearly a parody, but implying that the Pokémon titles somehow promote or legitimize animal cruelty could be the basis for legal action.
Source: CNET
