Nintendo patents rejected on monster-capturing mechanics amid Palworld
Japan's patent office rejected 20 of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's patent applications related to monster-capturing mechanics, which had been filed amid the ongoing legal dispute with Palworld developer Pocketpair. The rejections cover mechanics like throwing items to capture creatures, though related patents were accepted.
Background
- Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, the developer of the hit game *Palworld*, in September 2024, claiming its monster-capturing mechanics infringe on multiple Nintendo patents.
- *Palworld* (released in early access in January 2024) was dubbed "Pokémon with guns" for its creature-collecting and base-building gameplay, selling over 25 million copies and becoming a major viral hit on Steam and Xbox.
- The Japanese Patent Office has now rejected 20 of Nintendo's patent claims, ruling that the described mechanics were either not novel or too obvious — a significant legal blow to Nintendo's case.
- A "patent" grants an inventor exclusive rights; a "patent claim" is a specific, legally defined part of that invention. Rejecting claims means the patent office found those specific features unprotectable, weakening Nintendo's ability to sue over them.
- This development does not end the lawsuit, but it limits the scope of patents Nintendo can assert. The case is being watched closely as a potential precedent for how video game mechanics (like throwing a ball to catch a creature) can be legally protected.