Tensions continue between Nintendo and the creators of Palworld. As a lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement over Pokemon mechanics continues, Nintendo has hit its first hurdle in Japan. The patent office there rejected the company’s application to register systems related to catching monsters and throwing objects – that is, the very mechanics that are at the center of the lawsuit.
Recall that Nintendo sued the studio Pocket pair shortly after the phenomenal success Palworld. He claimed that the game infringed on several patents associated with the series. Pokemonand demanded financial compensation, as well as a ban on distribution of the game. Pocketpair responded by saying that Nintendo was abusing its influence and limiting the freedom of small developers.
There have long been rumors about which patents are actually covered in the game. Lawyers paid attention mainly to mechanics Pokeball and catch the creature itself. Interestingly, one of the patents that Nintendo relied on was filed after the release of Palworld – as an extension of an older 2021 application. According to experts, this was a direct response to the success of Palworld.
However, according to GamesFray, the Japan Patent Office rejected application no. 2024-031879which Nintendo filed in March 2024. The department said that the described mechanics could be created by anyone with basic knowledge in this area, and that similar systems existed long before the application was submitted. In his decision he refers to games such as Monster Hunter 4, ARK: Survival Development, Craftopia (also from Pocketpair) or Pokemon Go. For these reasons, the patent in its current form will not be approved. And the exact same argument is used by Pocketpair lawyers in the aforementioned sport.
It is possible that Nintendo will try to revise the application and convince the authorities again. While the patent office’s verdict will not have a direct impact on the ongoing Palworld litigation, it could weaken Nintendo’s position as Japanese courts often take such opinions into account. The fact that Pocketpair removed the ball throwing system and other mechanics from the game shortly after the controversy began allegedly as a “compromise” under the pressure of a lawsuit.
Although Nintendo faces resistance in Japan, it is doing better in the US. The authorities there recently granted him a patent for a game mechanic that allows you to summon a secondary character into battle – a system that also appears in one form or another in the games of the series. Pokemon.
Source :Indian TV
