We got news on what patents Palworld allegedly infinged

[BlusterBong]

Initial Source (Currently Down): https://www.pocketpair.jp/news/20241108?lang=ja
Source From IGN https://www.ign.com/articles/palworld-dev-reveals-patents-at-the-heart-of-nintendo-and-the-pokmon-company-lawsuit-and-how-much-money-its-being-sued-for

The patents in question? They are JP7528390B2, JP7493117B2, and JP7545191B1


The astute viewer might notice that Google Patents has a record for all three patents dating back to December 22, 2021 (which are also deemed active when you hover over them while the rest of the versions outside of japan are pending), and that's because they are the same Patents from 2021.

JP7349486B2


JP7349486B2

JP7398425B2


But then why are the reports from PocketPair and the sources taking from it using the 2024 patent? Well I'm no legal expert, but If you get sued for patent infingement, my best guess is that companies would rather use the latest version of the patent over the first version they made.

So TLR: Nintendo kinda sorta did a patent troll using patents they filed at the tail end of 2021 becuase they couldn't sue for "design infringement"

 

[Robert Newbie]

Interesting, thanks for the summary. The real question is if Nintendo's trying to intimidate competitors and bankrupt companies through legal fees.

I haven't played Palworld, so I don't know for sure if it's crossing any lines. If it's Nintendo trying to clear the playing field, they're setting bad precedents within the industry. If Palworld's devs are pushing legal limits, they've put themselves in a bad situation.

 

[Kwyjor]

The astute viewer might notice that Google Patents has a record for all three patents dating back to December 22, 2021 (which are also deemed active when you hover over them while the rest of the versions outside of japan are pending), and that's because they are the same Patents from 2021.

Not exactly the same. The main thing you want to look at are the claims, which diverge substantially.

So TLR: Nintendo kinda sorta did a patent troll using patents they filed at the tail end of 2021 becuase they couldn't sue for "design infringement"

It's hardly a "patent troll" if it's a patent for something they're actively using and profiting from. Whether they should have been able to get the patent in the first place is a different matter that has probably been discussed many times over at this point.

Regardless, these are Japanese patents and are enforceable solely in Japan. If you click "US" under where it says "Worldwide applications" you can see if they have a US application pending.

ETA: Apparently the thread is over here now, so maybe we can direct the comments there?
https://gbatemp.net/threads/pocketp...d-patents-from-the-pokemon-co-lawsuit.663038/