Q: Are pokemon likenesses covered under their patent. For example may I use a creature that looks like a Squirtle.
I am in the process of making a video game and one of the world's is pokemon themed. I understood I cannot use their name but was wondering if I could use pokemon likenesses as nuisance creatures.
A:
Your question did not include a patent number. The first step of answering the question is to determine whether there is a patent that has issued and has not expired. You may want to do some searching using tips at my slide set http://bit.ly/Patent_Searching .
Generally the patent system is not used for images but design patents can cover the ornamental appearance of items including icons uses on computer or phone screens so I do not want to dismiss this out of hand.
Good luck.
Kevin E Flynn
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