Nintendo is definitely suing developer Palworld for throwing Poké Balls

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The Pokémon Company and Nintendo are suing Palworld according to a statement issued by Pocketpair for 10 million yen, roughly equivalent to $65,600, and compensation for overdue payment. Pocketpair on Friday. The lawsuit concerns three patents covering gameplay in which players ride Pokémon and throw Poké Balls.

Last September, the Pokémon Company and Nintendo formally filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair. A press release from both companies at the time said they were seeking injunctive relief and damages “on this basis.” Palworld…infringes multiple patent rights,” but the companies did not explain how much damages they were seeking. On Friday, Pocketpair made the current status of the case public.

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According to a modern update from Pocketpair, Pokémon co-owners claim Palworld infringes three patents held by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo, and that the two companies are seeking “an injunction against the game and damages for a portion of damages incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing of this lawsuit.”

The Palworld developers said the lawsuit concerns three patents in particular: Patent No. 7545191, Patent No. 7493117AND Patent No. 7528390. So far, much of the popular conversation has focused on the design similarities between the creatures known as Pals and Pokémon. However, The Pokémon Company and Nintendo are not suing for copyright infringement; the lawsuit focuses on gameplay central to some Pokémon games. These three patents cover specific gameplay related to riding Pokémon and catching Pokémon with a Poké Ball.

Pocketpair did not provide additional context about the nature of the order. Injunctions are typically used to stop a company from doing further damage – in this case, it would constitute further infringement of The Pokémon Company and Nintendo’s patents. Palworld however, it has maintained the service and launched the game on modern platforms since the lawsuit was filed in September.

PocketPair released Palworld in early 2024. The game was an instant hit, selling over 12 million copies on Steam and gaining over 7 million players on Xbox. However, people online criticized the game for appearing to copy creatures and concepts from the Pokémon games and claimed that the developers stole designs from the Pokémon series to create Pal’s specific creatures.

As for what happens next, Pocketpair says it will “continue to reaffirm our position on this matter through future legal proceedings.”

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