RUN! The Coppers Are Here!

The days of massive faking operations seem to be over, as Pokemon USA and Nintendo officials begin to take action to stop the creation and distribution of fake cards around the world.

POKEMON AND NINTENDO TEAM UP TO COMBAT TRADING CARD PIRACY

More than 47 million counterfeit products seized worldwide in past 16 months

BELLEVUE, Wash. – April 7, 2008 – Pokémon USA, Inc., a worldwide leader in trading card games, today announced the results of recent anti-piracy actions taken in cooperation with Nintendo of America Inc. to combat the production and distribution of counterfeit Pokémon Trading Card Game products.

On March 26, law enforcement officials in New York raided seven stores known to be selling fraudulent Pokémon Trading Card Game merchandise. Thousands of products were seized and several arrests were made. In early April, one action at a production facility in China secured nearly 1.2 million counterfeit cards and investigations continue.

During the past 16 months, more than 47 million counterfeit products have been seized at production facilities in Thailand, Singapore, Poland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Australia, and China. One seizure in China in 2007 netted more than 26 million illegally produced cards. Nintendo and Pokémon will continue to target the retailers and manufacturers trafficking in counterfeit Pokémon product.

“Pokémon wants to send a message to importers and producers that we will not stand for the distribution of fraudulent Pokémon product,” says Pokémon spokesperson, J.C. Smith. “Pokémon is committed to ensuring our fans receive the quality product they’ve come to expect.”