Nintendo Palworld Patent Dispute Deepens as Japan Rejects Key Filing

Nintendo's patent dispute with Palworld developer Pocketpair has hit another snag. The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has rejected one of the patents central to the case, ruling that the invention wasn't original enough to protect, and Nintendo now has three months to appeal if it wants to keep pursuing that particular filing.

The twist is in the evidence the JPO used to get there. According to Automaton, one of the prior works the patent office cited was a fan-made Pokémon game released back in 2013, evidence the office considered enough to show the patented idea wasn't new.

Japanese patent watchers have also noted just how unusually blunt the examiner's language was in shutting down Nintendo's objections, with several people online sharing their favorite lines from the exchange.

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What Was Nintendo Trying to Patent?

The rejected application, No. 2026-019762, covers an in-game monster-catching system, mechanics like touchscreen movement, using capture items, and catching creatures both during and outside battles. It belongs to the same patent family Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are leaning on in their infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair.