Palworld developer claims in lawsuit against Nintendo that numerous games, including 'FF', 'Monster Hunter' and 'The Legend of Zelda', invalidate Nintendo's patents
Pal World, which has been talked about as being '
Pocketpair's defenses against Nintendo's patent lawsuit unpacked: ARK, Craftopia, Zelda, FF14 etc. may render asserted patents invalid – games fray
https://gamesfray.com/pocketpairs-defenses-against-nintendos-patent-lawsuit-unpacked-ark-craftopia-zelda-ff14-etc-may-render-asserted-patents-invalid/
Palworld dev fights Nintendo lawsuit with comparisons to Fallout, Monster Hunter, and more | VGC
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/palworld-dev-fights-nintendo-lawsuit-with-comparisons-to-fallout-monster-hunter-and-more/
Palworld lawyers state existence of Titanfall 2, Ark, and even The Legend of Zelda invalidates Nintendo's patents | Eurogamer.net
https://www.eurogamer.net/palworld-lawyers-state-existence-of-titanfall-2-ark-and-even-the-legend-of-zelda-invalidates-nintendos-patents
In the patent infringement lawsuit between Nintendo and Pocket Pair, Pocket Pair is accused of infringing three patents: a patent for a 'gimmick for throwing items at any character on a field in a virtual space,' a patent for a 'gimmick for using capture items to capture characters,' and a patent for a 'gimmick for a character to ride on another character and move around.'
Pocket Pair, the developer of Palworld sued by Nintendo, reveals three patents at issue, but various reactions erupt overseas - GIGAZINE
Games Fray , which creates detailed analytical reports on regulatory issues in the gaming industry, reviewed the litigation records at the Tokyo District Court on April 18, 2025, and reported on Pocket Pair's claims in the patent infringement lawsuit. According to Games Fray, this is the first time that the media has obtained the details of Pocket Pair's claims.
Pocket Pair alleges that the three patents that Nintendo has infringed were patents that already existed that used the systems and technologies protected by the patents, and that the patents that Nintendo claims infringe should not have been granted in the first place.
Regarding the patent for 'a gimmick for throwing items at any character on a field in a virtual space' that Nintendo claims to be infringing, Pocket Pair claims that it could have realized it simply by combining the technology of its own game, Craftopia (released on September 4, 2020), with prior technology. The patent for 'a gimmick for throwing items at any character on a field in a virtual space' was filed on July 30, 2024, but in ' Rune Factory 5 ', ' Titanfall 2 ', and ' Pikmin 3 Deluxe ', which were released before that, the player character releases monsters and captured items and performs actions to fire them in a specific direction, and in 'Pikmin 3 Deluxe', ' Far Cry 5 ', and ' Tomb Raider ', there are various types of effects on throwable objects.
Furthermore, he claims that it was easy to imagine that in Pocket Souls , Octopath Traveler , Monster Super League , and Final Fantasy XIV , it would be possible to select targets on the field and indicate the likelihood of a successful capture operation.
In addition, the court stated that the different capture rates for different items has been an element of the Pokémon series for over 30 years, and argued that the patent for 'a gimmick for throwing items at any character on a field in a virtual world' is invalid.
Furthermore, with regard to a patent relating to a 'gimmick that uses capture items to capture characters,' the plaintiffs argued that the patent was invalid, stating that this could have been realized even before the patent application was filed by combining technologies from 'Pocket Souls,' 'OCTOPATH TRAVELER,' 'Monster Super League,' '
Regarding the patent for 'a gimmick in which a character rides another character and moves around,' they argue that the patent is invalid because ' ARK: Survival Evolved ' exists. They also argue that the patent can be invalidated by combining ' ArcheAge ' with 'ARK: Survival Evolved,' 'The Legend of Zelda,' and 'Unity' (game engines).
Games Fray reports, 'There's no doubt that Pocket Pair and its lawyers have put in a lot of effort to present arguments asserting invalidity and non-infringement of the patents,' and 'Nintendo is suing over three patents, and Pocket Pair would not want to lose any of them.'
In addition, Pocket Pair removed the function of summoning monsters by throwing the Pokéball-like capture item 'Pulse Fear' in the December 2024 update. In addition, some reports have said that Pocket Pair is considering releasing Pal World for the Nintendo Switch 2.
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in Game, Posted by logu_ii