Highlights:
* Nintendo suing Palworld-developer Pocketpair means a potential delay in the upcoming updates for the game.
* The Pokémon Company and Nintendo’s lawsuit demands an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages from Pocketpair because Palworld violates various patent rights.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, accusing the Kyoto-based indie company of infringing “multiple patent rights.” Such a move has been predicted for months but the magnitude of the moment cannot be understated.
- Also Read: Palworld’s Top 5 Fastest Flying Mounts
Still in early access, Palworld was launched in January on Steam and Microsoft Store and became one of the best-selling games on PC. It also immediately drew comparisons with Pokémon because of the pocket monster designs. Following the game’s launch, Nintendo released a statement vowing to investigate and take action against those who potentially infringed their IP rights but it did not publicly mention Palworld.
Nintendo Suing Palworld: ‘Pokémon With Guns’ Game May Have To Pay Compensation For Damages
On September 18, 2024, Nintendo Co.Ltd and The Pokémon Company initiated legal proceedings against Pocketpair Inc. in the Tokyo District Court. The information was made public a day later with a press release. According to the lawsuit, Nintendo and Pokémon are seeking an “injunction against infringement” as well as “compensation for damages” because Palworld violates multiple patent rights.
News of Nintendo suing Palworld for copyright infringement arrives mere days after a leak hinted that a Palworld PS5 port will be announced during the Tokyo Game Show. Pocketpair is also preparing a Version 1.0 release for 2025. Given the latest tiding about Nintendo using Palworld, the developers have more on their plate.
Pocketpair did reply to the accusations posited by Nintendo. The latest post by Palworld_EN on X headlined ‘Regarding the Lawsuit’ mentions that they will begin the legal proceedings and investigations to combat claims about patent infringement. However, the indie company claimed that they were unaware of any infringements made by them and how the lawsuit would delay the development of the game:-
“At this moment, we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details… It is truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development due to this lawsuit.”
Back in June, the CEO of Pocketpair Takuro Mizobe stated that they didn’t receive any copyright warnings from either Nintendo or The Pokémon Company. They were unaware of any infringement.
Will Palworld Emerge Safe From The Lawsuit?
The Pokémon Company recently won a $15 million copyright lawsuit in China. According to reports, the lawsuit was filed in 2021 and involved six different companies that developed ‘Pocket Monster Reissue’, a turn-based role-playing game on mobile featuring characters and critters from the Pokémon series. The legal battle was for copyright infringement and intellectual property theft.
Fresh off a legal victory, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have now set their sights on Palworld. It seems to bear ominous signs for the indie title. In the words of Dr. Serkan Toto, a game industry consultant, Nintendo has a legendary track record when it comes to legal battles, especially in Japan.
Replying to the post, Pas, Founder of Oh Baby Games, mentioned that Nintendo only files lawsuits when “they know they won.”
If Pokémon sues Palworld and emerges victorious, developer Pocketpair may have to take down their survival game from all platforms. Nintendo suing Palworld also means other indie developers that make Pokémon-inspired games need to be extra careful. However, Pocketpair seemingly prepared for this day. Whether Nintendo or Pocketpair will win the legal battle will be revealed in the next few years.
