Many have already criticized the social media activity of government accounts under the second Trump administration, but one recent post from US Homeland Security has people urging game developer Nintendo to open a lawsuit.
While it might be the major developer most associated with family-friendly titles, Nintendo is also notorious for how strict it is when it comes to its own intellectual property, and is definitely not afraid to be aggressive when it comes to protecting it.
We've seen this plenty of times on the more extreme end of the scale, where individuals are sued for millions of dollars through piracy, emulation, and modding related claims, but Nintendo has also taken action against various fan projects that use content from games in unauthorized ways.
Fan games using Mario, randomized modded playthroughs of Pokémon games from decades past, and many more have been hit with cease and desist letters from what have been colloquially referred to as the 'Nintendo Ninjas' — and they might just have found a new target.
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As reported by the New York Post, people have called on Nintendo to take legal action against the United States Department of Homeland Security following a Pokémon-themed video posted on X surrounding deportation.
Captioned "Gotta Catch 'Em All" in reference to the iconic catchphrase used in the monster-hunting game series, the video from Homeland Security interspersed footage of immigration agents infiltrating buildings and arrested alleged illegal immigrants with clips from the Pokémon TV show.
The video also used the TV show's theme song featuring the caption's lyrics, and ended with Pokémon cards featuring various arrested individuals, showing their names, faces, and suspected crimes.
While this is both an odd and alarming video to be shared by an official government entity in the first place, it has also raised eyebrows among those who are aware of how strict Nintendo typically is with its IP, resulting in many calling on the developer to take legal action.
"I can't believe this was actually posted by a government agency," wrote one stunned user in the replies, whereas others have been a bit less considerate about their reactions.
"NINTENDO!!! SUE THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!!!" Exclaimed another in the replies alongside the well-known meme of Kratos from God of War 2.
A third wrote that "we need to channel all of the world's energy into Nintendo and Pokémon to sue the F***ING S*** out of Homeland Security for unauthorized visual representation."
Whether Nintendo actually have the grounds to sue is another question though, as outside of this being from an official government organization, it could also potentially fall under the interpretation of parody in free use, which would block any legal inquests.
We'll likely hear soon if Nintendo does desire to take action though, and it'll certainly have people on the edge of their seats if it even Homeland Security isn't big enough to stop a visit from the company's lawyers.
