Nintendo vs. The Patent Office: A Legal Showdown Over Palworld Heats Up

Things are heating up in the world of gaming legal battles as the Patent Office in Japan seems to be growing weary of Nintendo’s relentless patent infringement claims against Palworld. This back-and-forth focuses on a specific patent application that has recently been rejected, and now that decision is under scrutiny.

Patent Publication No. 2026-077713 is at the heart of this conflict, detailing the classic “in-game monster-capturing system” that many of us associate with Pokémon. What’s particularly interesting is that even experts in Japanese patent law are taken aback by the manner in which the Patent Office and Nintendo are clashing. The language being used in this dispute is described as “rarely seen” in typical patent discussions, as noted by attorney Kiyoshi Kurihara.

The Patent Office didn’t seem impressed by Nintendo’s assertion that “selecting a Poké Ball displayed at the bottom right of the screen causes Ash to throw it; if it hits Pikachu, Pikachu can be captured.” In an unexpected move, the Office referenced a gameplay video from an indie game, Pokémon: Generations, which is over a decade old. This sparked new comments on the video, celebrating it as a legal win against Nintendo.

However, the situation is far from straightforward! Nintendo retaliated, arguing that the Patent Office’s decision to reference a copyright-infringing game like Pokémon: Generations was highly inappropriate. The Office responded with a sharp rebuttal, stating that this argument doesn’t really affect the determination of what constitutes an “inventive step.” They went on to sarcastically suggest that if Nintendo wants to discuss copyright issues, they’d have to use convoluted terms like “an object in the form of a small animal” instead of Pokémon, or “an object in the form of a boy wearing a red cap” instead of Ash.

The Patent Office didn’t hold back, reminding everyone that even with such awkward rephrasing, the core reasoning for their rejection remains intact. Ouch! But Nintendo isn’t backing down. They filed a petition against the rejection, and it looks like they might have made some headway, as the Patent Office’s website now marks the rejection decision as being under review.

While this particular patent isn’t directly at the center of the legal battle with Palworld, it belongs to the same family of patents. Approval of this patent could potentially complicate things for Palworld. Some legal experts suggest that Nintendo may have tailored its claims specifically to focus on Palworld, adding another layer of intrigue to this ongoing saga.