Palworld developer Pocketpair has revealed details of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit alleging the game infringes multiple patents.
The monster fighting and catching game has been frequently compared to Pokémon since its release on PC and Xbox Series X/S in January. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit was filed just weeks before the PlayStation 5 version of Palworld was released in late September.
Today, Pocketpair revealed that the lawsuit relates to three patents filed between February and July of this year, after the launch of Palworld.
The developer also claimed that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are seeking “an injunction against Palworld”, presumably to block its future sale within the Japanese jurisdiction of the patent lawsuit, as well as a fine of 10 million yen (around £ 50,000) divided between the two companies, plus “delay damages.”
So what are the patents that Palworld is accused of infringing?
As expected and previously sniffed out by fans and industry observers, Nintendo patents numbered 7545191, 7493117, and 7528390 are at the center of this legal action. These all cover game mechanics such as capturing digital creatures and the ability to ride on them.
We previously highlighted the first of these patents in particular as likely behind the Palworld lawsuit.
The patent in question describes how a character catches a Pokémon by aiming and throwing a catching object, such as a Pokéball, at a creature. Upon successful capture, the creature becomes “the player’s property.”
In Palworld, players catch Pals by aiming and throwing a capture item, called a Pal Sphere, at a creature. Upon successful capture, the creature becomes the player’s property.
Japanese patent attorney Kiyoshi Kurihara previously called the document a “killer patent” that would be “easy to infringe.”
Writing today, Palworld once again said it would continue to fight the case. “We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings,” he said.
