US Edition
USPTO Rejects Nintendo's Controversial 'Summon Character and Let It Fight' Pokémon Patent in Non-Final Ruling, as Palworld Legal Battle Rumbles On
The non-final rejection cites prior-art references including earlier patents from Nintendo, Konami, and Bandai Namco, though Nintendo retains appeal rights.
- The USPTO rejected all claims of Nintendo's 'summon character and let it fight' patent, citing published 'prior art' references as the basis for the non-final decision.
- Nintendo and The Pokemon Company pursued a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair in Japan, centering on three patents including mechanics for monster capture and character riding.
- Legal experts Florian Mueller and Kirk Sigmon argued Nintendo 'should never' have received the patent, prompting the USPTO to order a reexamination last November following widespread criticism.
- Although this U.S. rejection is non-final, it could influence the ongoing Japanese litigation with Pocketpair; Nintendo retains the right to appeal, potentially extending the legal process.
- Pocketpair, led by Takuro Mizobe, has patched Palworld to alter disputed summoning mechanics and continues updating the game as it prepares for a full 1.0 release.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Bad News for Nintendo: One of the Patents Registered in Its Fight Against Palworld Has Been Annulled, but All Is Not Lost for the Company
The patent was registered in September 2025, but it has now been determined that many of its claims are invalid. That does not mean Nintendo’s legal battle with Pocketpair is suddenly over, but it does mean the company has taken a notable hit in a fight it clearly hoped to tighten. The development is not directly tied to the lawsuit itself, yet it grows out of the same broader effort by the creators of Super Mario to shield the Pokémon IP. What …
Nintendo's legal fight with Palworld suffers a reversal as the USPTO reject their patent on character-summoning battle mechanics
Nintendo's efforts to patent the idea of summoning a videogame character and letting it fight another character have suffered a significant reversal in the USA, even as the Mario makers continue a copyright infringement lawsuit against Palworld developers Pocketpair in Japan. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has now revoked the character-summoning patent in question, though their decision is "non-final". Nintendo have two months to …
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