Nintendo recently acquired a patent in the United States related to character summoning mechanics for autonomous fighting, a key aspect in their legal battle against Palworld over alleged copying of Pokémon games.
The company might lose this crucial advantage due to the suspicious manner in which the registration was obtained, catching the attention of the director of the US Patent and Trademark Office.
John A. Squires personally requested that GamesFray revise the patent issued to Nintendo and the associated methods. Items 1, 13, 25, and 26 in the documentation require particular focus, as the company failed to provide evidence of prior art demonstrating its role in developing the patented mechanics.
Nintendo must act within two months to prevent the invalidation of its patent.
The website also mentions that reviewing the records may not be in favor of Nintendo. This is because Konami also has similar records describing technologies that enable players to engage in battles manually or in a more automated manner.
Patents may not be automatically revoked, as the Japanese company has two months to provide additional evidence in response to the request. Other companies can also submit requests to demonstrate their prior creation of the ideas being considered for registration by the corporation.
Nintendo may prolong the situation by taking legal action to protect its record, potentially benefiting Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, if the records are deemed invalid.
The two companies are not expected to have any new developments in the case in 2025, but there may be updates in 2026. The developer believes they are being unfairly targeted in a legal battle, which has led them to make negative changes to their game through updates.
Insider-Gaming is the origin of the source.
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