Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted the US Embassy twice in June to formally request that the Trump administration stop using anime and gaming characters — including Pokémon, Naruto, and Mario — in political social media posts without rights holders' consent. The concern centers on reputational harm to these franchises. The Pokémon Company previously denied permitting a DHS mashup of Ash Ketchum footage with ICE raid clips, and the White House has also shared videos blending military footage with scenes from Wii Sports, Halo, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, prompting public objections from franchise owners and actors.
Questions this post answers
Did the Pokémon Company give permission for its characters to be used in US government social media posts?
No. The Pokémon Company publicly denied permitting the DHS to use Ash Ketchum footage in a mashup with ICE raid clips. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also contacted the US Embassy twice in June to press the Trump administration to stop using Pokémon, Naruto, and Mario in political posts, citing reputational harm and lack of rights holders' consent. Developers and creators tracking IP rights issues in digital media follow cases like these on daily.dev.
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