Summary
Nintendo has secured what appears to be an anti-Palworldpatent in the United States. This development suggests that the company’s legal dispute with thePalworldmaker could eventually go global.
In September 2024, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo filed a joint lawsuit against Pocketpair,alleging thatPalworldinfringes on multiple aspects of their intellectual property. The case was brought before the Tokyo District Court and has so far remained in Japan. However, Nintendo has since also filed to secure some of the disputed patents in the U.S.
The United States Patent and Trademark office has recently granted one such application,Games Frayreports. Identified by U.S. patent number 12,220,638, the patent—published on February 11—describes a gameplay system for capturing creatures. The invention is conceptually similar to a USPTO patent (no. 12,179,111) that Nintendo already secured at the tail end of 2024, with both of them being part of thepatent family that’s at the center of thePalworldlawsuit.
Nintendo’s New Creature-Capture Patent Seems to Target Palworld
The key difference between the December 31 and February 11 patents is that the former’s creature-capture system distinguishes between a “first” and “second” mode of operation. It describes one screen for aiming a device—like a Poke Ball—and another for capturing or battling a creature on a dedicated field. In contrast, the newly secured patent attempts to avoid this distinction by using different terminology, like replacing the phrase “field character” with “virtual character.” Games Fray’s patent analyst Florian Mueller notes that Pocketpair could arguePalworld’s creature-capture mechanicsdon’t fit the dual-mode terminology from the older patent, which might the reason why Nintendo has now moved to cast an even wider net by patenting a more abstract system.
In a prior statement to Game Rant, Muellercharacterized Nintendo’sPalworldlawsuit as a clear-cut case of bullying. The fact that the gaming giant is currently in the process of securing patents at the center of its Japan-only dispute with Pocketpair in the U.S. could signal that it’s considering taking the legal battle global. Whether it actually decides to do so will presumably depend on the outcome of its recent stateside patent applications.
Nintendo Seeks Even More Anti-Palworld Patents in the U.S.
Not all of Nintendo’s anti-PalworldU.S. patent applications have been successful. In early December 2024, the USPTO rejected one of them (No. 18/652,883) on 32 out of 33 claims. The remaining claim describes a system for switching mountable virtual creatures on the fly while the player character is riding them. The USPTO stated that this invention would be allowed if submitted independently. In early February 2025, a Nintendo attorney requested an interview with a patent examiner to argue this case in greater detail and attempt to get more of its claims granted.
