Taiwan Candidate Accused of Copyright Infringement Over "Pikmin" Event

A political candidate in Taiwan is under fire for allegedly infringing on Nintendo's intellectual property rights by using the popular "Pikmin" game characters and branding in a campaign event. Liu Chin-yu, a candidate for Taipei City councilor representing the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), organized a "Real-life Pikmin Challenge" event alongside party chairman Ko Wen-je.

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Besides not daring to overthrow the cabinet, they do everything else, plagiarism, copying, corruption. Great TPP!

The event saw Liu, Ko, and others wearing Pikmin-themed headwear and engaging with participants. However, promotional materials for the event heavily featured Pikmin characters and the official game name "Pikmin Bloom," raising immediate concerns about copyright violations. The use of game concepts and slogans further fueled the controversy.

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Not elected yet, and already playing with the law like this?

Online criticism was swift and severe, with many netizens flooding Liu's social media pages. Accusations ranged from "plagiarism" and "corruption" to questioning the party's respect for the law and intellectual property. Some commenters directly invoked Nintendo's reputation for aggressively protecting its IP, referring to its legal department as the "strongest legal department in East Asia."

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Is it certain that the official authorization has been obtained to use the IP?

Liu Chin-yu attempted to address the backlash by stating that the event did not involve selling or distributing Pikmin merchandise, participants used their own official apps, and the hats were legally purchased. She clarified that the event was not a paid exhibition or official competition and did not claim endorsement from Nintendo or Niantic. However, legal experts note that using commercial game IP for political campaigning generally falls outside "fair use" and can mislead the public into believing an official endorsement exists. Nintendo's stringent policies typically prohibit unauthorized commercial or political use of its intellectual property, often resulting in severe legal consequences.

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Please show the original manufacturer's endorsement and authorization. Based on the TPP's habits, they are just freeloading.