20 Nintendo patents rejected on monster-capturing mechanics amid Palworld dispute

MANILA, Philippines – The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has rejected more than 20 Nintendo patent applications related to “capturing of monsters,” marking another development in the company’s ongoing legal dispute with Palworld developer Pocketpair.

The applications were denied due to lack of novelty and extensive prior art, with examiners citing earlier games such as ARK: Survival Evolved, Monster Hunter 4, Craftopia, and Pokémon GO as existing examples of similar monster-interaction systems. 

The JPO ruled that Nintendo’s claims did not demonstrate a sufficiently unique or inventive step to qualify for patent protection.

Industry reporting, including coverage from Rock Paper Shotgun, also noted that similar patent challenges in the United States have followed the same reasoning, where the USPTO rejected Nintendo’s “summon and fight” mechanic patent after finding that the concept was already covered by earlier filings from companies such as Konami, Bandai Namco, and Nintendo itself. The rejection was based on “prior art,” meaning the mechanic was not considered new. 

The same reporting highlighted that this type of USPTO decision is non-final, giving Nintendo the option to respond or amend claims, but it reflects strong examiner findings against the originality of the patent.

Earlier in the year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office also revoked all 26 claims of a Nintendo patent involving character summoning and battle mechanics, further reinforcing the pattern of prior-art-based rejections. 

While Nintendo may still revise or appeal the Japanese and U.S. decisions, the repeated rejections suggest challenges in securing exclusive rights over widely used gameplay systems.

The lawsuit between Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Pocketpair remains ongoing in Tokyo District Court. 

Nintendo has not issued a new statement regarding the rejected patents, while Pocketpair continues to argue that creature-capture mechanics are long-established features in the gaming industry. (By Rich Longakit, INQUIRER.net Intern)