Key Takeaways
1. Japan’s Patent Office rejected Nintendo’s patent application 2024-031879 related to “monster capturing” methods, which may help Pocketpair in their legal battle.
2. The rejection was based on a lack of originality, citing existing similar game mechanics in earlier titles before Nintendo’s application.
3. Pocketpair provided evidence of older games and mods to support their case, arguing that monster-capturing features have existed for a long time.
4. Nintendo’s defense against considering mods as prior art has been criticized, suggesting its arguments may not be strong enough.
5. Nintendo has 60 days to respond or modify its claims, with the option to appeal if the rejection becomes final, potentially extending the legal proceedings into 2026.
Japan’s Patent Office has rejected one of Nintendo’s patent applications, specifically number 2024-031879, related to “monster capturing” methods. This ruling could potentially benefit Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, in their ongoing legal battle. However, it’s important to note that this decision is not final, so Nintendo could still challenge it by providing additional evidence.
Lack of Originality Cited
A report by Gamesfray indicates that the patent office believes Nintendo’s concept lacks originality since similar game mechanics were already present in earlier games prior to their application in December 2021. This new patent is closely associated with two other patents Nintendo is using in the lawsuit against Pocketpair: the parent patent JP7505852 and the child patent JP754191.
The patent examiner noted that “the claimed invention could have easily been created by individuals with common knowledge in the technical field.” The JPO also pointed to previous works in older games, like a 2020 YouTube video of ARK: Survival Evolved, Craftopia wiki, the Monster Hunter 4 manual discussing anesthetic balls, Pokémon GO capture rates, Monster Hunter 3rd, and ARK Mobile.
Evidence Submitted by Pocketpair
On April 9, 2025, Pocketpair reportedly provided evidence of these older titles to the patent office, contributing to the rejection. They had earlier cited games such as ARK, Tomb Raider, Titanfall 2, The Legend of Zelda, and Rune Factory 5 to counter Nintendo’s argument.
Pocketpair also mentioned fan-created mods like Pixelmon for Minecraft and NukaMon for Fallout 4, asserting that these monster-capturing features have been part of gaming for a long time.
Nintendo’s Counterarguments
Nintendo contended that mods shouldn’t be considered prior art since they depend on base games. Yet, many critics argue that this is a flimsy defense, as mods are still recognized as publicly available concepts.
Although this rejection doesn’t conclude the lawsuit in the Tokyo Court District—where Nintendo filed against Pocketpair on September 19, 2024—it does weaken Nintendo’s position. It suggests that the patent might not be as distinctive as the company claims.
The chances seem to favor Pocketpair since Nintendo now has a 60-day period to submit additional arguments and modify its claims, or it risks facing a final refusal. Should that happen, they have the option to appeal, which could prolong the process into 2026.
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