On September 19, 2024, Nintendo Co., Ltd. announced that the company and The Pokémon Company, its subsidiary, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, Inc. in the Tokyo District Court, contending that “Palworld” infringes the following three patents related to Pokémon series, a well-known game series developed by The Pokémon Company. The parties seek an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages against Pocketpair, Inc.
Japanese Patent Number: 7545191
Filing date: July 30, 2024
Registration date: August 27, 2024
Title of invention: Game Program, Game System, Game Device, and Game Processing Method
Japanese Patent Number: 7493117
Filing date: February 26, 2024
Registration date: May 22, 2024
Title of invention: Game Program, Game System, Game Device, and Game Processing Method
Japanese Patent Number: 7528390
Filing date: March 5, 2024
Registration date: July 26, 2024
Title of invention: Game Program, Game System, Information Processing Device, and Information Processing Method
“Palworld” is an open-world RPG game developed by Pocketpair, Inc. Since its launch in January 2024, the game became a smash hit, reaching 25 million users in the total number of players in just a month. “Palworld” entices users by offering them to build a base and live a survival life in an island, managing its game character “Pal”. Game users repeatedly pointed out that the design of “Palworld” is similar to the “Pokémon” series. Nonetheless, the lawsuit in question alleges patent infringement but not copyright infringement, pertaining to its similarities of game systems.
The three patents were jointly filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. After The Pokémon Company revealed that they have started investigation on possible patent infringement by Pocketpair, Inc. in January 2024, Nintendo filed patent applications with divisional application and leveraged accelerated examination at the Japan Patent Office (JPO) for early patent obtainment.