US EditionUSPTO 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.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Pokémon's summoning and battling patent has officially been rejected
Last September, in the mix of suing Palworld developer Pocketpair for allegedly taking its copyrighted material, Nintendo and Pokémon filed a new patent which seemed quite unfair for any game developer trying to make some type of summoning or battling experience. The new patent would have claimed those mechanics, and instantly was criticised by those in the know in the industry and lawyers, too. Now, as per GamesFray, following the US patent of…
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 …
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