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Back in September Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed a lawsuit in Japan against Palworld developer Pocketpair, and now we actually know why.

It's a messy situation and obviously given that it's Nintendo, a lot of media have wanted to know more specifics. So Pocketpair have put up a news post to do exactly that. Now remember this is about patents, not copyright, so it's not about any creatures included in Palworld.

Keep in mind, as Pocketpair make clear, that Palworld was released on January 19, 2024 here below are the patents that Pocketpair say Nintendo are using against them:

Patent No. 7545191
[Patent application date: July 30, 2024]
[Patent registration date: August 27, 2024]

Patent No. 7493117
[Patent application date: February 26, 2024]
[Patent registration date: May 22, 2024]

Patent No. 7528390
[Patent application date: March 5, 2024]
[Patent registration date: July 26, 2024]

Those individual patents were all applied for after Palworld was released. Looking through them it seems the focus of the patents covers game mechanics like catching creatures and riding creatures.

You might look at the dates Pocketpair gave there (which are correct) and think — well, they were filed after, so how can Nintendo sue using those? The answer is complicated. What Pocketpair don't say, is that these patents are from a parent patent which was registered in 2021 and approved in 2023, meaning it very much does end up applying here to Palworld.

What are Nintendo after then? An injunction against Palworld, a payment of 5 million yen plus late payment damages to The Pokémon Company and a payment of 5 million yen plus late payment damages to Nintendo Co., Ltd.

So if Nintendo / The Pokémon Company win, and it's entirely possible based on the patent situation that they might, we will likely see Palworld no longer for sale.

See more in the Pocketpair news post.


The situation goes well beyond Palworld though. These patents for such specific game mechanics could stifle creativity in other games, and allow Nintendo to go after other game developers if they choose to do so. There's a growing amount of monster catching games, and this could end up causing future developers to reconsider making one. What a mess.

Palworld

Official links and where to buy from:

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
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6 comments

tmtvl about 2 hours ago
Hm... that parent patent reminds me of Summon Night Swordcraft Story (2003), where moving onto water automatically swapped you to using the water scooter. Also that car in GTA 5 (2013) which automatically changes to a submarine.

In other words, I'd be surprised if Pocketpair can't find prior art.
Stella about 2 hours ago
This is absolutely ridiculous. How is it even allowed to patent mechanics like 'catching and riding creatures' in the first place? They could sue a ton of games on that basis, like Ark: Survival, Monster Hunter Wings of Ruin, paleo Pines and many others. All those allow you to do that


Last edited by Stella on 8 November 2024 at 11:45 am UTC
Stella about 2 hours ago
Would this also allow Nintendo to sue the likes of Horizon, because you can override and mount creatures like Chargers? What about games that allow you to tame wild horses like theRed Dead Series? Where does this end?
Sojiro84 about 2 hours ago
Nintendo is such a terrible company. I am glad I have never given them any money. I am one of the lucky few who doesn't like the underpowered consoles they make or the games, and these patents are just ridiculous.
Yueh 1 hour ago
So Pong creator can pursue every video game companies...
wytrabbit 1 hour ago
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Monster Sanctuary (2020) also has collecting and riding mechanics
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