Nintendo is sueing 55 domain name owners, whose sites "wilfully infringe" its Pokémon trademarks.

The Japanese video games suit has filed what it calls a mass domain names suit with the Federal Court in Seattle. But it seems to be leaving Pokémon fan sites alone - the company says it has targeted "domain names that are attempting to profit from the overwhelming commercial success of Pokémon".

And boy is it targeting: the suit alleges that the registration of Pokémon-related Internet domain names constitutes "trademark infringement, dilution and cyberpiracy, a violation of the Anti-Cybersquatting Protection Act, and unfair or deceptive trade practices".

Nintendo wants damages and the transfer of all the domain names to itself. It also wants an immediate injunction to stop any attempt to transfer the domain names to other owners. ®

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