Nintendo’s “No Compromise” Drama and Palworld
As we know, Nintendo is currently engaged in a legal battle with Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, concerning copyright infringement. In short, the game title Palworld has already drawn numerous “similarities” to Nintendo’s Pokémon IP since its release. Therefore, Nintendo cannot remain passive, committing to pursue Pocketpair throughout 2024.
While the court hearing is taking place in Japan with a budget request of over $66,000, Nintendo is also expanding its legal efforts in the U.S. However, recently, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected 22 out of 23 patent applications filed by Nintendo, only accepting one related to the “capture and character management” process.
This suggests that Nintendo’s “struggle” in the U.S. will be significantly more challenging than in Japan. Nevertheless, Nintendo remains undeterred and continues to file new patent applications, among which one was just granted on February 11, 2025, relating to the “character capture method,” “success probability,” and “character presentation in gameplay.”
What does the future hold for Nintendo’s legal battles?
Florian Mueller, a prominent intellectual property expert, notes that Nintendo is facing greater difficulties than anticipated in protecting its intellectual property rights in the U.S. However, they remain persistent in their legal pursuits. If Nintendo is successful, this could create a considerable precedent that raises concerns for the gaming industry, impacting future game development and possibly stifling creativity in new game titles.
Currently, there is no official court hearing scheduled in the U.S., but Nintendo is preparing its legal strategies. If the case in Japan is successful, it is likely that they will continue to expand their legal battles in the U.S. This could signal the beginning of a new wave of legal battles in the gaming industry, compelling developers to tread carefully when building their game mechanics.
