Palworld maker Pocketpair shares the details of its ongoing patent infringement lawsuit with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company. First detailed in September, we now have a closer understanding of what Nintendo is looking for. Rather than considering Pal designs, the lawsuit targets specific in-game mechanics, as the plaintiffs seek an injunction on the creature-collecting survival game alongside a heavy fine for damages.
"As announced on September 19 2024, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo Co., Ltd. have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us," a new statement from the open-world game, the studio is reporting the current details of the case.
The claims relate to infringements on three patents, which are not related to character designs, focusing instead on specific gameplay mechanics including the ability to catch creatures in a ball or to ride them around the world. It's also worth noting that all three patents – numbers 7545191, 7439117, and 7528390 – were ed in 2024, after the initial release of Palworld.
Pocketpair's statement says Nintendo is seeking three things: An injunction against Palworld, and two separate payments of "five million yen plus late payment damages" to Nintendo and The Pokemon Company.
That currently translates to just over $65,000 in total. While it's not established exactly what the injunction would entail, it's possible that Nintendo is seeking to block the game's sale in relevant territories such as Japan.
![Palworld - Statement from Pocketpair: "As announced on September 19, 2024, The Pokémon Company and Nintendo Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the "Plaintiffs") have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us. We have received inquiries from various media outlets regarding the status of the lawsuit, and we would like to report the details and current status of this case as follows: 1: Details of the Lawsuit The Plaintiffs claim that "Palworld," released by us on January 19, 2024, infringes upon the following three patents held by the Plaintiffs, and are seeking an injunction against the game and compensation for a portion of the damages incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing of this lawsuit. 2: Target Patents Patent No. 7545191 [Patent application date: July 30, 2024] [Patent registration date: August 27, 2024] Patent No. 7493117 [Patent application date: February 26, 2024] [Patent registration date: May 22, 2024] Patent No. 7528390 [Patent application date: March 5, 2024] [Patent registration date: July 26, 2024] 3: Summary of the Claim An injunction against Palworld Payment of 5 million yen plus late payment damages to The Pokémon Company Payment of 5 million yen plus late payment damages to Nintendo Co., Ltd. We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings. Please note that we will refrain from responding individually to inquiries regarding this case. If any matters arise that require public notice, we will announce them on our website, etc."](https://pcgamesn.play1002.com/wp-content/sites/pcgamesn/2024/11/palworld-pocketpair-statement-nintendo-lawsuit.jpg "palworld-pocketpair-statement-nintendo-lawsuit")
Pocketpair says it "will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings," and notes that it will not respond individually to further inquiries regarding the case, but will announce relevant details publicly as needed.
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