Nintendo’s new anti-Palworld patent gets approved in the US

Nintendo recently secured another anti-Palworld patent in the US, which is central to its lawsuit against Palworld filed in Japan in 2024. 

Earlier in 2024, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company jointly filed a lawsuit against Plaworld creator Pocketpair. Nintendo alleged that the game infringed various aspects of Nintendo’s intellectual property. 

So far, this lawsuit has remained in Japan. However, Nintendo has already started filing anti-Palworld patents in the US. According to Games Fray, one such application has officially been granted a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office. 

Published on 11 February, U.S. patent number 12,220,638 covers a gameplay system for capturing creatures. Conceptually, it is similar to another USPTO patent, 12,179,111, which Nintendo already secured in December 2024. 

The new patent may give Nintendo an edge over Palworld

The recent February 11 patent and the one filed earlier on December 31 primarily distinguish between a “second” and “first” operation mode. Both these patents are integral to the lawsuit against Palworld.

According to the previous patent, one screen is designated for aiming, and the other screen is for battling a creature (or capturing it). However, Pocketpair could argue that the lawsuit is baseless as Palworld’s capture mechanics don’t fit the previous patent’s terminology. 

On the other hand, the recent patent uses more abstract classifications, using the phrases “field character” and “virtual character.” These phrases cast an even wider net, possibly giving Nintendo an edge over Palworld from a legal point of view. 

Not all Nintendo anti-Palworld patents received approval

The fact that Nintendo is trying to secure patents in the US over a dispute in Japan suggests that the legal battle may be going global. However, it depends on the result of the more recently filed patents. 

It is important to note that some of Nintendo’s anti-Palworld patents have not been accepted. For instance, earlier in December 2024, patent number 18/652,883 was rejected by the USPTO on 32 out of 33 claims. 

According to the USPTO, the remaining claim must be submitted as an independent application. In February 2025, an attorney representing Nintendo requested the patent examiner conduct an interview to review Nintendo’s claims further.

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