Nintendo filed a lawsuit against developer Pocket Pair in Japan on the grounds that the mechanics in the Palworld game violated patent rights.
Nintendo, palworld took the long-awaited legal step regarding its game and filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the developer Pocket Pair in Japan. Palworld, which was released in January 2024, was noted by many for its similarity to Nintendo’s world-famous Pokémon series. However, this time, Nintendo took legal action on the grounds of patent infringement rather than copyright infringement. The company claims that Palworld violates game mechanics that “allow the player to throw an object to catch creatures, which then become the player’s property.”
Similarities Between Palworld and Pokémon
Palworld is described as a game very similar to Pokémon, with creature capture and battle mechanics. A creature named Sparkit in the game came to the fore due to its similarity with Pokémon’s iconic character Pikachu. However, Nintendo puts forward game mechanics rather than design similarities as the reason for the lawsuit. This patent lawsuit filed in the courts in Japan is taking shape after Nintendo claims that the creators of Palworld used some patented technologies without permission.
Nintendo’s lawsuit alleging patent infringement rather than copyright is based on differences in the Japanese legal system. While “copying” and “similarity” evidence requires a more difficult process in copyright cases, technical details are focused on in patent cases. Japan’s patent eligibility standards are lower than those in the United States, making it more attractive for Nintendo to file this case in Japan. The company alleges that Palworld infringes more than one of the 28 game mechanics patents in its patent portfolio.
It seems that Nintendo is trying not only to put pressure on its competitors with this lawsuit, but also to protect its own technological innovations. Palworld developer Pocket Pair stated that it does not have clear information about which patents have been violated so far. This case could be an important turning point for both the future of Palworld and the protection of creative ideas in the gaming industry. This move by Nintendo seems to start a new discussion on the protection of intellectual property rights in the gaming world.