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The Pokémon Company and Nintendo are seeking a payment of 5 million yen (Approximately $32,802) and an injunction against the creators of Palworld, Pocket Pair.
Today, Pocket Pair issued a report sharing more details on the lawsuit, first raised in September. At the time, it was thought that The Pokémon Company and Nintendo may attempt to file a lawsuit under copyright infringement, but instead, the case would be based on patent infringement. At the time, it was unknown which patents these would be.
This latest report reveals that the Pokémon Company and Nintendo are pursuing three patents.
Pokémon vs Palworld
The damages sought by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo would be those incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing the lawsuit. While the dates of the patents on the report show they were between February and July of this year, they link back to patents established in 2021.
These patent summaries cover various game mechanics, such as the ability to throw an item to capture a creature, riding creatures, and AI wandering mechanics.
The complete patent information covers a much more varied and highly specific description of the mechanics and scenarios in which they are used, something which The Pokémon Company and Nintendo will need to prove Pocket Pair has replicated.
Here are the patents filed in the lawsuit:
[Patent application date: July 30, 2024]
[Patent registration date: August 27, 2024]
[Patent application date: February 26, 2024]
[Patent registration date: May 22, 2024]
[Patent application date: March 5, 2024]
[Patent registration date: July 26, 2024]
Pocket Pair intends to stand against the lawsuit claiming that it will “continue to assert out position in this case through future legal proceedings.”
Palworld was first released on January 2024 on Xbox Gamepass. The title sold over 1 million copies in the first eight hours and then went on to be released on PlayStation consoles. There are also plans for a mobile release through a partnership with PUBG publisher Krafton.
In a recent feature, Furura Digital shared its legal expertise on the details of the impending lawsuit, predicting some of the patents that have now surfaced.