Copyright line
The copyright line in the small print at the bottom of a Pokémon card gives years and the game’s copyright holders, which The Pokémon Company International names as Nintendo, Creatures Inc. and GAME FREAK inc. On Base Set cards, the years help tell one printing from another.
How to read it
The line on The Pokémon Company International’s own Scarlet & Violet rulebook reads “©2023 Pokémon. ©1995–2023 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.”, followed by a note that TM, ® and character names are trademarks of Nintendo.
Also searched as: ©1995 96 98 nintendo, nintendo creatures game freak, pokemon card copyright date, pokemon card year.
This page says what a marking on a Pokémon card means, from The Pokémon Company International’s rulebooks and announcements and published guides. Pokémon and its card markings belong to Nintendo, Creatures Inc., GAME FREAK inc. and The Pokémon Company; the drawings are simplified sketches, not the cards’ own artwork. It doesn’t authenticate, grade or value any card.
Dates on Base Set cards
On the first English set the copyright years are one of the ways collectors tell printings apart. Wargamer notes that Unlimited cards can be recognised by the shadow round the picture window or by the copyright line “©1995, 96, 98”. CGC, the card grading company, records a later print run of Base Set, released in the UK in 2000, whose copyright date was changed to “1999-2000” to keep copyright protection. The Shadowless and 1st Edition pages cover the earlier printings.
Read next
- Next in Pokémon card symbols1st Edition stampThe 1st Edition stamp, a 1 on a black circle with the word EDITION arched over it, marks a card from the first print run of an early English set, from Base Set in 1999 to Neo Destiny.
- The same shape in Barcodes and QR codesGS1 DataBar (produce sticker barcode)GS1 DataBar is a family of narrow barcodes for items too small for a UPC or EAN. On a produce sticker it is the small stacked barcode beside the PLU number, carrying a 14-digit product number.
More pokémon card symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles, letters and numbers or lines.
Sources
- Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules (Scarlet & Violet rulebook), Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules, Scarlet & Violet expansion rulebook (2023), PDF, The Pokémon Company International, Back cover
- How to Tell if a Pokémon Card is a First Edition (CGC), How to Tell if a Pokémon Card is a First Edition, CGC Cards news article 10262, CGC (Certified Guaranty Company), Identifying first editions of Pokémon Base Set cards
- How to spot first edition Pokémon cards (Wargamer), Matt Bassil, “How to spot first edition Pokémon cards”, Wargamer, Wargamer, Shadowless and Unlimited
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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