Pokémon Sword and Shield
You may remember it, but before the release of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, images of the official guide leaked on the internet. It was a rather "canonical" information leak by industry standards, just think of what happens to Ubisoft at every E3, but not for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The two companies, in fact, immediately went in search of those responsible and, after having found them, asked them for damages. David Maisonave and Bryan Cruz, the two leakers, now have to compensate the company with $ 150,000 each, as well as pay the very high legal fees.To find the evidence and those responsible for the leaks, hidden behind the username and various security systems of Discord, Reddit and 4chan, the company has hired real experts who have compared the access data of the leakers with the movements of the few people who have access to the rooms where the game guide is contained. br>
It seems, in fact, that The Pokémon Company keeps its guides locked up in a room where access is allowed only to controlled personnel and, obviously, without telephones. Evidently, however, David Maisonave, an employee of the publishing house, figured out how to get around the controls and managed to introduce a camera into these rooms. Then with the help of his friends Bryan Cruz he put everything online.
A scene from Pokémon Sword and Shield After the TPCi detectives found the culprits, the two were forced to admit their guilt and negotiate with the company. 150 thousand dollars each plus legal fees which, seeing the methods used to find them, must have cost more than the fine.
A figure that could ruin the lives of many, but which, once more, proves how Nintendo and The Pokémon Company strenuously defend their intellectual property.
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Pokémon Sword And Shield Leakers To Pay $150,000 Each To Nintendo For Damages
Newly filed court documents for Nintendo's case against two fans--who leaked details on Pokemon Sword and Shield in 2019--have revealed in a $300,000 settlement being reached in favor of the Japanese company. The pair was originally accused of stealing trade secrets from Nintendo by taking photos of an unreleased strategy guide for the Pokemon games.
The documents also revealed that one of the defendants had been employed at LSC Communications--the company responsible for printing the Pokemon Sword and Shield guide--while the other defendant had received the photos from a group chat and then posted them onto Discord. Each of the defendants will have to pay out $150,000 to The Pokémon Company for damages, legal fees, and other costs.
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Now Playing: Pokemon Sword And Shield Video Review
This wasn't the only leak before the launch of Pokemon Sword and Shield, as a 4chan info-dump provided accurate details on the games six months before they launched, while early gameplay footage went online ahead of the official review embargo, resulting in that publication being permanently blacklisted by Nintendo.
This isn't the first time that Nintendo has used legal methods to protect its intellectual properties, as the company has a history of aggressively pursuing people who have infringed on the company's copyright. Nintendo recently won a lawsuit against RomUniverse, with the owner of that ROM-hosting site being ordered to pay $2.1 million in damages to Nintendo after the case originally began in 2019.
Nintendo's upcoming Pokemon games have remained leak-free for now. November will see the launch of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes, while Pokemon Legends: Arceus will arrive not too long afterward in January 2022.
Watch live streams, videos, and more from GameSpot’s summer event. Check it out