Palworld is one of 2024’s biggest hits, and was immediately compared to the Pokémon franchise as soon as it launched. Now, it seems Nintendo believes the similarities went too far, and has recently sued the game’s developer, Pocket Pair, for alleged patent infringements.
This is a massive and developing legal dispute, so here is everything we know about the Palworld vs. Nintendo lawsuit.
Nintendo’s lawsuit against Palworld, explained
On Sept. 18 Nintendo, creators and owners of the Pokémon IP, filed a lawsuit against Pocket Pair Inc., the Tokyo-based developer of Palworld. In a statement released the following day on Sept. 19, Nintendo explained that the lawsuit “seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.” However, this statement doesn’t elaborate on which patents Palworld infringed upon, which was later reflected in a statement issued by Pocket Pair.
In its response, the indie developer clarified it received the lawsuit on Sept. 18 and that it was preparing accordingly, though at the time of its publishing the statement, Pocket Pair Inc. was “unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details.”
Speaking for Yahoo Japan, Kiyoshi Kurihara, a Japanese patent attorney, analyzed the lawsuit and provided what might be the reasoning behind Nintendo’s move. In the analysis, translated and reported by Automaton, Kurihara said the most obvious similarities between Palwolrd and Pokémon “would not have been enough” to warrant a lawsuit of this kind. However, one particular mechanic from Palworld might be the culprit, which is the way players capture Pals by throwing a ball-like item at them.
“If there is any patent infringement to speak of, I think it would be this,” Kurihara said.
According to Automaton, the patent in question seems to be “Patent No. 7545191” from late July of this year, whose parent patent was registered in December of 2021, causing it to be “legally effective against Palworld.”
So, in conclusion, it appears Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are pursuing legal action against Palworld for allegedly copying Pokémon‘s manner of capturing monsters. Keep in mind that this is still speculative, and once we have a better grasp of the situation we’ll update this section.
Does Nintendo have a case against Palworld?
As things stand, it is unclear whether or not Nintendo has an actual case against Palworld. Capturing animals in the wild is a basic human function that has persisted for a hundred thousand years. The ball in Palworld might just be another form of a trap or tool for hunting, and hunting tools likely aren’t able to be patented. Nevertheless, this particular case of throwing a ball at a creature might be enough to justify a patent, and thus its legal effectiveness.
We will be able to better determine whether or not Nintendo can actually press this far enough to win once more detailed information on the lawsuit emerges. At the time of writing, we do not know precisely what the Japanese corporation is pressing, nor does Pocket Pair, if its statement is anything to go by. Thus, we cannot offer sound judgement on the situation before Nintendo or Pocket Pair Inc. publish the likely lengthy details of the filing.
