Pokémon says the Department of Homeland Security used images from their company for a social media post without permission.

Pokémon said the Department of Homeland Security used its theme song and images in a recent social media post without permission from the company.

"We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand," Pokémon Company International said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property."

In a Sept. 22 post on X, DHS shared a minutelong video compilation of its officers making arrests juxtaposed to clips from Pokémon cartoons.

The video is set to the Pokémon theme song and captioned, "Gotta Catch ‘Em All." To date, it has been viewed more than 72 million times.

Intellectual property refers to creative works such as designs, symbols and names that are legally protected by the inventor, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization.

USA TODAY has reached out to DHS for comment.

DHS faces pushback from Theo Von, Indy 500 over X posts

Pokémon is not the first entity to allege that DHS did not request permission to use its likeness in social media posts.

On Sept. 23, podcaster Theo Von said the agency used a clip of him for a social media post about deportations without authorization.

"Yooo DHS i (sic) didn’t approve to be used in this," Von wrote in a since-deleted post on X. "Please take this down and please keep me out of your 'banger' deportation videos. When it comes to immigration my thoughts and heart are alot (sic) more nuanced than this video allows. Bye!"

The video was later removed from the department’s profile. Copies of the clip appear to show Von saying, "Heard you got deported, dude, bye," alongside apparent footage of deportations.

In another instance, in August, while promoting the immigrant detention facility dubbed "Speedway Slammer," DHS shared a photo that featured an IndyCar with a detention center in the background.

The post featured an image of a white IndyCar emblazoned with the letters "ICE" and a No. 5. Some pointed out that Pato O’Ward, who uses the same number on his car, is the only Mexican Indy 500 driver.

Penske Entertainment, the motorsports company behind the Indy 500, said in a statement to the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, that it was unaware its branding would be used for the image.

Hours later, DHS deleted the initial image and shared a new photo of a car that no longer featured a No. 5 on the side.

DHS told IndyStar in a statement that any suggestion that the original image violated intellectual property rights was "absurd."

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

Contributing: James Powel, USA TODAY; Nathan Brown and Tory Basile, Indianapolis Star

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pokémon says it didn't give DHS permission for 'catch ‘em all' deportation video

Reporting by Melina Khan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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