Trademark guides / Pokémon
Is “Pokémon” safe to use on Etsy?
No, not unless you’re selling the genuine brand. “Pokémon” is a trademark of The Pokémon Company / Nintendo.
Pokémon names and characters are protected. Fan merchandise using them is removed on report.
Why it’s a problem
Pokémon is one of the franchises sellers most often get flagged for, alongside Star Wars, Marvel and Nintendo. Fan-made merchandise using the name or characters can be reported and removed.
What Etsy does when it’s reported
Etsy removes a listing when a rights owner files an intellectual property report, and you can only respond afterwards with a counter notice. Repeated reports against the same shop can lead to suspension.
Etsy's Handmade category makes this worse: sellers describe their own designs with popular words, and some of those words belong to someone.
What to write instead
- your own original creature design
- anime-style (without naming characters)
Check the rest of your listing
One trademark is rarely the only risk. The scanner checks your whole title and description against Etsy’s own rules and every term in our trademark list.
Related
Source: eRank: Tips to avoid getting your Etsy shop closed
General information, not legal advice. Trademark status can change; this page was last checked on 2026-10-10.