Nintendo’s Patent Application Part of Lawsuit Against Palworld Creator Has Been Rejected

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The legal dispute between Nintendo and Pocketpair over similarities between Palworld and Pokemon continues, and recently Japan’s Patent Office (JPO) turned down Nintendo’s patent application. Game Fray reports that the patent concerned how monsters are captured in gameplay. The JPO didn’t fully reject it, but cited existing games – like the ARK series, Monster Hunter 4, and even Pocketpair’s Craftopia – as evidence that these “monster capture” mechanics aren’t new.

Florian Mueller from Game Fray explains that Nintendo now has two options after their patent application was rejected: they can drop the application altogether, or revise it and resubmit it with changes. Mueller believes Nintendo will likely choose to revise and resubmit. This rejection isn’t expected to affect Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit against Pocketpair.

Mueller points out that even if the JPO’s decision wasn’t preliminary, it wouldn’t have a legal impact on the case, which is being handled by Judge Motoyuki Nakashima. At most, it has caused a delay in the proceedings. Another concern is Nintendo’s earlier attempt to change one of its patent applications while the lawsuit was ongoing. Mueller also believes Nintendo faces increased risk because the patent examiner is now considering actual games, not just patent paperwork and articles, when evaluating the case.

In July, analyst Dylan Mueller found Nintendo’s actions unusual, stating that while the company seemed to be trying to improve its legal position, their new arguments were strangely worded and unlikely to resolve the ongoing dispute.

The unusual nature of this patent change stemmed from its overly complex wording, as indicated by a machine translation of the original filing. It seems the language was deliberately made complicated, likely to give the impression of a more sophisticated invention. An excerpt from the machine translation illustrates this point.

Okay, so here’s the deal: I’m playing, and even if I’ve got a regular boarding character selected – not the one that can fly – if I hit the button to board while I’m in the air, the game automatically switches to my flying board! It basically overrides whatever board I had selected and lets me take to the skies instead. It’s a neat little shortcut, honestly.

Mueller highlighted the unusual use of the phrase “even when” in patent applications, explaining that it’s considered too strong and opinionated for legal language. He specifically pointed out that even the single word “even” is generally avoided in patent claims.

You can currently play Palworld on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. While you’re at it, be sure to check out the details of their new Halloween update, and get ready for the Once Human and Palworld crossover event that’s starting today.

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2025-10-30 19:11