REDMOND, Washington, October 3, 2000 -- Nintendo is trying to catch 'em all. Internet cybersquatters, that is. Nintendo of America Inc. today filed a mass domain name lawsuit in Federal Court in Seattle, Washington, against 55 web domain names alleging the web sites willfully infringe the trademarks of its popular Pokémon ® brand and characters.
The suit alleges that the registration of Pokémon-related Internet domain names constitutes trademark infringement, dilution and cyberpiracy, a violation of the Anti-Cybersquatting Protection Act, and unfair or deceptive trade practices. Nintendo has targeted domain names that are attempting to profit from the overwhelming commercial success of Pokémon. Nintendo is seeking monetary damages, a transfer of all the domain names to Nintendo, and an immediate injunction against the transferring or registering of any domain names likely to infringe on Nintendo trademarks.
"These web sites are an obvious attempt to profit illegally from the success of Pokémon," says Richard Flamm, Nintendo's vice president, legal and general counsel. "Nintendo is intent on protecting its brands and properties against any attempt of cybersquatting."
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the acknowledged worldwide leader in the creation of interactive entertainment. To date, Nintendo has sold more than 1 billion video games worldwide, has created such industry icons as Mario® and Donkey Kong® and launched franchises like The Legend of Zelda® and PokémonTM. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems, including the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy® - the world's best-selling video game system. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in North America.
For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's web site, www.nintendo.com .