Pokémon condemns White House for using its imagery

Pokémon Company International has condemned the White House's use of its imagery, including a tiny version of the popular character Pikachu, in a meme posted online with the phrase "Make America Great Again". "We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual property," said Pokémon spokeswoman Sravanthi Dev. "Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda." The company has previously criticised the Trump administration for using its imagery to promote its deportation drive. When contacted by the BBC, the White House suggested the company has a political bias. The company did not say if it intended to pursue a lawsuit against the US government. The 30 year-old brand, which recently released the game Pokopia for Nintendo, had similarly rebuked President Donald Trump's administration in September for using its theme song, and slogan "Gotta catch 'em all", in a video showing arrests made by US border patrol and immigration agents. At the time, it also said it was not involved in the creation or distribution of the content and had not granted permissi