Nintendo Will Sue Pocketpair For Patent Infringement in Palworld

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company are suing Pocketpair for patent infringement as a result of similarities between Palworld and the Pokemon series. There’s not a lot of information on the lawsuit at the moment, as this is still a developing story.

The full news release is available on the Japanese Nintendo corporate website. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed the lawsuit on September 18, 2024. They are suing Pocketpair on multiple accounts of patent infringement, and are seeking both a fine and an injunction. If the lawsuit goes through, then Pocketpair may need to change the designs of some of its more incriminating Pals. The news release ends with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company stating that it will continue to enforce measures in order to protect its intellectual property.

Even before the game came out, Palworld was intrinsically linked with Pokemon in peoples’ minds. Fans and other news outlets have pointed out similarities in designs, with Pals looking like a mishmash of various Pokemon elements and body parts. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company launched an investigation into Palworld in late January 2024 after concerns appeared online.

Palworld is readily available on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, macOS, and Windows PC. The latest Pokemon title, Pokemon Scarlet/Violet, is readily available on the Nintendo Switch. More details will come out in regards to the Palworld/Pokemon infringement lawsuit as the case develops.