What’s stopping pokemon company from taking all the ad revenue of all these Pokémon channels for using their company products and likeness to promote their channel for ad revenue profits? It’s a question I have wondered quite often as I watch these channels, and think “is pokemon really that nice and doesn’t mind that this keeps their brand on the top of people’s YouTube feeds and they are “for the people” or are they simply waiting kfor a couple of years to pass when the ad revenue from all these channels gets higher before they ask YouTube for the profits from every video ever made with pokemon that made any money from advertisements…?”
maybe I’m way off here and I’m missing a lot of logistical points and factors but I just hear other companies like Nintendo have been extremely sensitive about anyone using anything that is theirs on their channel…
Anyone have insight or thoughts they care to share?
Much appreciated…
If you’re talking about channels where people talk about pokemon, the law is stopping them.
You can read about Fair Use here: www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html
Now, companies can and do abuse the system by waving around legal weight that they know their victims cannot afford to combat, but there is almost nothing to gain with even the biggest YouTube channels. The negative press would normally offset the gain, but Pokemon has precedence for being huge assholes about this kind of thing.
In 2015, TPCI sued a guy who ran a small Pokemon-themed party at PAX.
www.geekwire.com/2015/superfan-who-threw-pokemon-themed-party-needs-to-raise-4k-to-cover-pokemon-trademark-lawsuit/
The party had a $2 cover charge and the company followed through with the entire suit, even after the party was canceled, forcing the poor guy to crowdfund the thousands of dollars they demanded from him.
So, for now, the law is stopping them from being able to go that route. But if they really wanted to push the issue, they’d probably target someone they know can’t afford to fight back and scare people off. I doubt this will happen, though. They got away with the PAX party but they would be absolutely effed if they attacked YouTube channels.
There is difference, at least in my eyes of people discussing collectibles that they own, and are intended to collect, vs using pokemons art/images/likeness without consent.
Considering what social media has done for Pokemon, it would be PR suicide to go after big-medium range youtubers, especially guys displaying and discussing product they own. It would be comparable to a sports team or athlete getting hung up on a collectors discussing their rookie cards. That would be beyond petty.
Also, Pokemon hired a couple youtubers. They now are staff at worlds and major tournaments.
Makes a lot more sense now… thank you for taking the time to enlighten me on this.
As someone who’s had dealings with their attorneys, they can be manipulated like the scum they are. You have to be careful though.