Pokémon Scarlet and Violet leaks targeted with copyright strikes

Leaked footage taken from Pokémon Scarlet Pokémon Violet went viral this week, Nintendo The Pokémon Company are aggressively targeting unauthorized content with copyright strikes, according to leakers.

Several prominent Pokémon fan and leak accounts reported they and others received Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) strikes shortly after they published leaked footage and screenshots purported to be from the Scarlet and Violet games. The footage included a grainy photo with what appears to be Fuecoco’s evolution, other unannounced Pokémon, and a 30-second clip from the games’ introduction cinematic. While many of these images were removed from social media due to or anticipating copyright violations, some are still available elsewhere online.

A Pokémon fan account that aggregates leaks, called PearlEnthusiast, tweeted a screenshot of the DMCA takedown noticeThe Monday messages they received included several tweets. Other users had images and video clips removedFrom their posts while some accounts were temporarily locked. A Twitch stream will be available Monday was reportedly taken offline almost immediatelyBecause of a Nintendo copyright claim.

This isn’t surprising, really. Nintendo is notorious for being strict with unauthorized content, whether that’s leaked footage, fan art of Bowser’s penis, a fan-favorite game soundtrack channel. The Pokémon Company itself has made its fair share of DMCA strikes in the past, too — and in 2019, the company filed a lawsuit after someone obtained a Pokémon Sword and Shield Strategy guide, with photos posted online. The strategy guide is not intended to be used as a marketing tool. Sword Shield leak was published anonymously, The Pokémon Company was able to track down the people involved. The Pokémon Company settled the lawsuit in 2021, with the court ordering the leakers to pay $150,000 each in damages and attorney fees. However, the strategy guide photos weren’t the only major leak in the lead up to Sword Shield. ; a freelancer working for a Portuguese gaming website called FNintendo was later found to be a leaker. This website was removed from the Nintendo Blacklist.

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s hard stance on leaks appears not to have spooked actual leakers. Someone published a similar article earlier in the year. Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ full PokéDex and its opening sequence, as well as renders of new Pokémon. As this is the second time. Scarlet Violet, the companies have been quick to take the leaks down — but not before they spread widely.

Polygon reached out to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company Monday to ask whether either is taking action against leakers. The Pokémon Company declined to comment, and Nintendo has yet to respond.

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