Palworld developer Pocketpair has disclosed the patents at the heart of the infringement lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in Japan last September.
Along with seeking damages of 5 million yen each (plus late fees), Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are also pursuing an injunction to halt the game and to secure compensation for some damages incurred from the patent registration date up to the filing of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit references three Japanese patents: No. 7545191, No. 7493117, and No. 7528390. Based on translations of these claims, they outline mechanics resembling Pokémon gameplay.
Patent ‘191 covers the act of throwing a ball at characters in an open area, ‘117 addresses aiming mechanisms, and ‘390 pertains to character riding.
To assess the strength of these claims in court, further examination of the original Japanese patent text and Japanese patent law will be necessary.
A set of screenshots shows a simulated game scene where a player character throws an object at a creature, represented by a basic line drawing.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit comes nine months after Palworld’s debut on Steam, where it shattered records with an impressive 12 million copies sold within the first month.
Following the game’s launch, Nintendo stated it was aware of Palworld and would investigate claims that the game borrowed heavily from Pokémon designs and other elements of Nintendo’s monster-catching concept.
The lawsuit has delayed Palworld’s PS5 release in Japan, though it hasn’t impeded development of a mobile port licensed by PUBG Mobile publisher Krafton.
Pocketpair concluded their announcement by stating, “We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings.”
