Nintendo has, in a very rare moment, seen one of its patent claims against the developers of Palworld, Pocketpair, get rejected by Japan’s Patent Office. This marks one of the first setbacks for the world’s most litigious gaming brand, and one revolving its Pokemon IP.
According to GamesFray, the rejection stems from Nintendo’s failure to prove that it actually invented the mechanics for capturing monsters and sending them out to fight or capture other monsters. While this is, and has been the gameplay mechanics of Pokemon since its inception, Japan’s Patent Office rejected the claims because such mechanics have existed far longer before Nintendo even patented them in 2021.
Pocketpair has also provided evidence to counter Nintendo, citing Monster Hunter, Far Cry, Kantai Collection, and Pokemon GO as some examples. Basically, the patent office found that these games already featured the capture, release, and combat systems, similar to what Nintendo claims to be theirs, occuring years before the company filed its patent them.
So, what does this mean for both Pocketpair and Nintendo? At the moment, Pocketpair can breathe a sigh of relief, however long that peace will last. As for Nintendo, the company now has 60 days to update its claim, or face full rejection from the Patent Office. In this case, it’s safe to assume that it isn’t going to be giving up on this easily. Just look at the way it dealt with Gary Bowser, as well as the now-defunct emulator, Yuzu.
Clearly, the company has no chill.
(Source: Games Fray, Videocardz, Hot Hardware)
