How it’s built
- Searched Nintendo's annual securities reports for the years to March 2009 and 2019, Nintendo's shareholder Q&As, the companies' websites and site terms.
- Also searched a 2019 domain-name dispute ruling, customs and court records, and two analyses of the companies' published accounts. No payment was found.
What we assumed
- If a royalty existed, one of these documents would probably mention it.Nintendo describes its dealings with The Pokémon Company in its filings. But the key accounting notes and Creatures' and Game Freak's own accounts could not be reached.
Sanity check
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. The trademarks belong to the three founders, so some payment could still exist in documents not read.
Where it comes from
Our calculation from other figures in the trainer’s notes:
- FiledA 2019 Japanese domain-name ruling found the Pokémon trademarks belong to Nintendo, Creatures and Game Freak, and that The Pokémon Company, which brought the case, is not a trademark owner
- EstimateSecondary trademark holders per jplatpat, as of 2026
Show the working
- absence across documents behind to
Where it’s used
Related figures
Built from this one