In September Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair based on their breakout hit Palworld. Pocketpair has now provided an update on the alleged patents that the plaintiff claimed Palworld infringed on.
“The Plaintiffs claim that ‘Palworld,’ released by us on January 19, 2024, infringes upon the following three patents held by the Plaintiffs, and are seeking an injunction against the game and compensation for a portion of the damages incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing of this lawsuit,” Pocketpair revealed in an update.
ALSO READ: At $250 Million, Arcane Is The Most Expensive Animated Series Ever Made, But Was It Worth It?
The three patents Nintendo claimed Palworld infringed on were all related to gameplay. However, what’s even more interesting is that the patents were filed between February and July, at least over a month after the release of Palworld. The patents for which Nintendo is suing Pocketpair include:
- JP7545191 (application date July 30, 2024; registration date August 27, 2024): related to a system for using capture items to tame characters encountered in a virtual space
- JP7493117 (application date February 26, 2024; registration date May 22, 2024): related to an aiming system for deploying capture items
- JP7528390 (application date March 5, 2024; registration date July 26, 2024): related to a system for rideable characters
Nintendo and the Pokémon Company are seeking an injunction against Palworld as well as a fine of ¥5 million ($33,000) and late payment damages each to both companies. Pocketpair said they “will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings”.
After its release in January, Palworld attracted over 25 million players across PC and Xbox in its first month making it Pocketpair’s most successful release to date. If Nintendo wins the infringement lawsuit, it will have a ripple effect in the game industry.
