Podcaster Theo Von and The Pokémon Company have both voiced objections to their use in a recent campaign by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) promoting deportation efforts. The controversy began when the DHS shared a montage of ICE raids on social media platform X, set to the original Pokémon theme song with the caption “Gotta Catch ‘Em All.” This clip featured images from the Pokémon franchise and had text overlays styled in a Pokémon-like font. Shortly thereafter, the agency published another video featuring a clip of Theo Von, who said, “heard you got deported, dude… bye,” alongside statistics about deportations under the Trump administration.
In response, Theo Von expressed his disapproval on X, stating he had not authorized the use of his image and requested the removal of the content. The Pokémon Company’s response was more formal, clarifying that they were not involved in the creation or distribution of DHS’s material and that no permission was granted to use their intellectual property. Fans have taken to social media to advocate for legal action against DHS, but some legal experts believe that a lawsuit is improbable.
Don McGowan, a former legal chief of The Pokémon Company, suggested that the incident would likely pass without significant ramifications, noting that companies in similar situations often choose not to pursue legal avenues. Following the backlash, the post featuring Theo Von was removed, while the Pokémon montage remains live, with the Customs and Border Patrol’s account even sharing a GIF of Detective Pikachu, humorously captioned “Border Patrol’s newest recruit.”
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/785288/pokemon-theo-von-dhs-ice