It’s been exactly nine months since the Pokemon clone game Palworld was first released globally, raking in millions of downloads in mere days. While there was lots of speculation regarding the game’s striking similarities to Pokemon, Nintendo seemingly remained quiet. However, Nintendo’s lawyers have finally made a move against the game. The developers of Palworld, Pocketpair, are getting sued.
About The Lawsuit
Details regarding the case are scant at the moment. However, Nintendo has published an official news release on its Japanese website titled “Filing a Lawsuit for Infringement of Patent Rights against Pocketpair, Inc.” The short but concise letter states that Nintendo, alongside The Pokemon Company, have filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court. The defendant in this case is Pocketpair, Inc.
What this lawsuit aims to achieve for Nintendo is an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages. The grounds for such a move explain that Palworld, a game developed and released by Pocketpair, infringes on multiple patent rights that are currently held by Nintendo or The Pokemon company.
Should Nintendo win this lawsuit, not only would Pocketpair have to cease all activity in regard to the patent infringement, but it would also have to pay an undisclosed amount to Nintendo for any harm caused to the company as a result of the infringement.
The letter concludes with Nintendo saying that it will continue to take all necessary actions against infringement of its intellectual property rights, which the company has worked hard to establish over the years.
Mixed Reactions From the Gaming Community
Many gamers across the internet are confused, considering Pocketpair’s CEO Takuro Mizobe has gone on record previously to state that Palworld has cleared all legal reviews. Others are surprised that it’s taken Nintendo’s lawyers this long to prepare a solid case for suing Pocketpair. The official Palworld X account released a statement the following day.
