The Pokémon Company’s former chief legal officer has said he would not take action over an official Department of Homeland Security video that features footage of people being handcuffed and arrested set to the Pokémon theme tune — despite calls from fans for the corporation to sue.
The video, which was posted on social media this week, mixes blurred footage of law enforcement officers and dozens of people in handcuffs with clips from the animated Pokémon TV series. The post is titled “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” linking the Pokémon franchise’s famous slogan with the controversial current wave of arrests by ICE personnel.
Reactions to the video on X are mixed, with numerous comments tagging the official Pokémon and Nintendo of America accounts to flag the content and call for the companies to launch legal action over the use of their intellectual property. But Don McGowan, Pokémon’s veteran ex-legal chief, has told IGN he believes any such action is highly unlikely — and listed numerous reasons why.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All. pic.twitter.com/qCvflkJGmB
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 22, 2025
“I don’t see them doing anything about this for a few reasons,” McGowan, now principal at Extreme Grownup Services, told IGN today. “First, think of how little you see [The Pokémon Company International]’s name in the press. They are INSANELY publicity-shy and prefer to let the brand be the brand.
“Second, many of their execs in the USA are on green cards,” he continued. “Even if I was still at the company I wouldn’t touch this, and I’m the most trigger-happy CLO [Chief Legal Officer] I’ve ever met. This will blow over in a couple of days and they’ll be happy to let it.”
For some fans — if no action is indeed taken — The Pokémon Company’s lack of response here may likely seem surprising considering the highly litigious nature of the corporation in other instances. Indeed, McGowan has spoken in the past of swinging into action after spotting the unauthorised use of Pokémon intellectual property being reported on by the media.
A simpler tactic for The Pokémon Company could simply be to lodge a copyright complaint against the post itself — as rapper Jay-Z successfully did back in August when his track Public Service Announcement was used in a similar recruitment video that featured footage of agents conducting immigration raids. That post, titled ‘Hunt Cartels, Save America,’ is still online, though the video is no longer accessible “in response to a report by the copyright owner.”
There’s certainly no doubing the extensive use of the Pokémon brand in the video. As well as featuring its classic theme tune, the post also includes clips from the Pokémon anime featuring former main character Ash Ketchum, and ends with a parade of convicted criminals turned into Pokémon cards (with their type weakness shown as Ice-type).
“We need to channel all of the world’s energy into Nintendo and Pokémon to sue the F***ING SHIT out of Homeland Security for unauthorized visual representation!” wrote MomagicLOL.
“These are human beings with families,” wrote AlwaysFlacko. “Like what the f*** are we doing as a society. You can’t even take this seriously… rounding people up and interning them is just a fun Pokémon meme?”
IGN has contacted The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for comment, and to ask if either corporation will act in response.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
