Summary
- Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have secured their third anti-Palwolrd patent in the U.S.
- A fourth such patent is close to being granted as well.
- Patent expert Florian Mueller sees this development as a strong indicator that TPC and Nintendo may soon file a patent complaint against Palworld in the U.S.
Nintendo has been granted yet another anti-Palworld patent in the United States—its third such IP to date. According to one patent expert, this turn of events indicates that the company may be close to filing another lawsuit against Palworld.
The Pokemon Company (TPC) and Nintendo originally sued Palworld developer Pocketpair in September 2024. The lawsuit, filed in the Tokyo District Court, alleges that Palworld infringes on multiple patents jointly held by the plaintiffs. Since then, Nintendo and TPC have moved to secure some of the disputed patents in the U.S., signaling that the case could eventually go global.
Related
‘It Changed A Lot of Things for Us’ Palworld Dev Comments on Nintendo Lawsuit
Palworld developer Pocketpair shares a bit more about the lawsuit issued by Nintendo after refraining from discussing the matter for some time.
The latest result of these efforts materialized in mid-March 2025, when the USPTO granted Nintendo and TPC another seemingly anti-Palworld patent, Games Fray reports. Identified by U.S. patent number 12,246,255, the patent covers a system for seamlessly switching between different modes of transportation. Specifically, it outlines a method that allows the player character to alternate between riding a ground-based object and an airborne one.
Nintendo Is Close to Obtaining Its 4th Anti-Palwolrd Patent in the U.S.
Nintendo already had a similar anti-Palworld rejected on 22 out of 23 claims back in December 2024. However, it ended up amending its application following an interview with a USPTO examiner, revising several claims while adding one more. The amended application now seems likely to be granted in the near future, which would leave Nintendo and TPC with four patents that they could potentially use against Pocketpair in the U.S.
Nintendo May Be Preparing Another Patent Complaint Against Palworld
Games Fray’s patent analyst Florian Mueller characterized this turn of events as a strong indicator that Nintendo and TPC are preparing another patent complaint against Palworld. Instead of Japan, this next lawsuit would seemingly be filed in the U.S. Mueller suspects that the timing of the complaint hinges on the approval of the recently amended patent (No. 18/652,883). Assuming the case is indeed going global, the U.S. lawsuit could be filed sometime between late spring and summer 2025. Pocketpair previously said it intends to fight the Palworld lawsuit, but without addressing the now-realistic possibility of having to wage legal battles on multiple fronts—in both Japan and the U.S.
In a prior statement to Game Rant, Mueller labeled Nintendo’s Palworld lawsuit as “a clear case” of bullying. As of early April 2025, the long-time patent analyst believes there’s still a chance for The Pokemon Company and Nintendo to drop the idea of going after Pocketpair in the U.S. However, “war appears more likely than peace” right now, Mueller concludes.
Open-World
Shooter
Survival
- Released
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January 19, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Violence
- Developer(s)
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Pocket Pair, Inc.
- Publisher(s)
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Pocket Pair, Inc.