Pokemon Company Wants $4k to Settle Lawsuit With Fan – Report
The organizer of a Pokemon-themed fan event that was supposed to take place in August during PAX Prime but was shut down at The Pokemon Company’s request now says the firm is asking him to pay $4,000 to settle the lawsuit. The man, Ramar Larkin Jones, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the money. After just three days, he managed to raise the money, which will presumably end this matter.
Writing on the crowdfunding page, Jones said, “This year I tried to throw a unofficial Pokemon party because why not… it would be fun, I’m a huge fan, I know all my friends are fans, and I mostly wanted to geek out and add to the fun parties you can find all over the city.”
The day before this event was schedule to take place, The Pokemon Company took legal action against Jones. For its part, The Pokemon Company claimed that Jones and other organizers were guilty of “blatant and willful” copyright infringement regarding the use of its IP to promote the fan event, which had been held annually since 2011. In addition, it was not free, as Jones was charging a $2 door fee.
He now says The Pokemon Company never sent a cease and desist order.
“Totally didn’t expect that,” he explained. “I cancelled the party, refunded everyone the two dollars I charged to help cover all the prizes I bought for the cosplay contest and smash bros tournament. Pokemon wants $4,000 that I just don’t have. I told them I would pay it over a year and they denied that. They want it now with in the next 45 days.”
Speaking with GeekWire, which originally broke the story in August, Jones said, “I thought it was a scare tactic. I thought once the party was canceled there would be nothing more about this. I’m shocked.”
Jones said he works in a cafe and did not have the money to pay The Pokemon Company. Thankfully for him, the community has rallied around his cause. Funding now stands at $4,082 from 111 supporters.
For more on this story, read GeekWire’s in-depth report.
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