Palworld developer hit with $66,000 lawsuit from Pokémon Company

Palworld developer Pocketpair got hit with a 10 million yen lawsuit, up to $66,000 in current exchange rates, by Nintendo and the Pokemon company. 5 million yen is for damages, while the rest covers additional costs for late payments.

Palworld is currently facing a lawsuit filed by Nintendo and the Pokemon Company. The game’s developer, Pocketpair revealed the three patents against it are related to the gameplay mechanics.

Nintendo and the Pokemon Company seek both financial compensation and an injunction to halt the distribution of the game.

Pocketpair revealed that the plaintiff companies are seeking an injunction as well as a fine for damages in addition to the late payment charges. The total amount demanded by Nintendo and Pokemon could then be over 10 million yen if they win the lawsuit.

This amount, which was not revealed earlier, is, “compensation for a portion of the damages incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing of this lawsuit”, says Pocketpair.

Patents are part of parent patent registered two years before Palworld release

Pocketpair’s report revealed the three patents under infringement by the plaintiffs. The three patent numbers are 7545191, 7493117, and 7528390. All three of them were applied in the period between February and July 2024 and registered between May and August.

These applications were filed after the early access period of Palworld on January 19. However, these patents are part of a parent patent that was registered more than two years before the game’s release in 2021 December by Nintendo and the Pokemon Company.

The patents in question include mechanics similar to the elements in Pokemon games. The first patent 7545191 is also called the “killer patent” by Kiyoshi Kurihara, the Japanese patent attorney. This patent involves the gameplay of capturing creatures with a similar Pokeball-styled device.

The second patent 7493117 is based on the in-game indicator to predict the chance of successful capture before the player aims for it.

While the third patent 7528390 covers the idea of boarding and riding creatures. The features are similar to the mechanics in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Players ride Pokemons like Braviary and Basculegion in a similar way.

As the lawsuit is unfolding and growing in intensity with increasing charges, Pocketpair stays strong-spirited to “assert its position” in future legal proceedings.