Took them a while. But like clockwork, Nintendo never misses a chance to be the villains.
Nintendo filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, Inc.
Submitted 22 hours ago by hal_5700X@sh.itjust.works to games@lemmy.world
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2024/240919.html
Comments
Caligvla@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 hours ago
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
They had to wait for PalWorld to sell a lot and make a lot of money so they can financially ruin these people instead of just telling them “don’t do that.”
Literally Comic-Book Villain behavior.
GBU_28@lemm.ee 18 hours ago
Doesn’t matter to them, when millions line up to see the next wacky thing Mario is up to
hal_5700X@sh.itjust.works 21 hours ago
We should play a game of guessing which patent(s) they’re gonna try to nail Palworld for infringement with.
SlippiHUD@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Half of those patents read like if they use vague enough language to justify patenting how computers work.
halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
Welcome to Software Patents 101.
testuserpleaseupvote@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
How can they let companies file such broad, vague patents for mechanics that have existed since forever? For example, 20240286040, is just what flying mounts have done in WoW since 2007 or even the flying cap in Mario 64 ffs. There are probably other earlier examples, but it goes to show that it’s just noise to monopolize innovation and scare other devs.
msgomez06@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Long story short, the claims get much longer and restrictive through the application process. The example you asked about is currently undergoing a non-final rejection, and the claims will get much more restrictive in further iterations (assuming that the application has actual merit somewhere in the original dependent claims)
You can check the application history here: Global Dossier
ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca 21 hours ago
My guess is the “Pokemon Box Storage” system since palworld stores pals in a palbox.
radix@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
Nintendo patents video game inventory system.
Not the onion.
(Not a patent lawyer, and I’m sure it’s more complicated than that, but come on)
Shadow@lemmy.ca 20 hours ago
Is that the wrong link? This seems totally unrelated to Pokemon in boxes, and is more about multi console character storage systems.
NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
These can’t be real, they read like they were generated by an AI prompt.
testuserpleaseupvote@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
Well, it makes me think that AI training was probably biased towards legal drivel like this, since it’s public facing, professional and probably even translated in multiple languages.
The student got so good that people think the teacher is imitating it.
Donjuanme@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
No, that’s the pal-world-monster arts.
lowleveldata@programming.dev 16 hours ago
Those are just abstract if I’m not mistaken. There should be more detailed specifications.
june@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 hours ago
Since this was filed in Japan, it would have to be parents Nintendo own in Japan that are infringed and those don’t necessarily perfectly match those in the US
Tikiporch@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Bad move by Nintendo. This game was on track to be forgotten. Pocketpair forgot about it months ago, but the players were starting to catch on to that. Now there will be a resurgence of interest.
ludicolo@lemmy.ml 17 hours ago
Nah all that gamer malice will be dropped at the tip if a hat with a switch 2 announcement sadly. Pocketpair will be bled of money into bankruptcy and nintendo will win.
it is morally right to pirate nintendo games.
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
Sony is a shareholder and Microsoft has also supportted PocketPair, it will be interesting to see how that works out with Nintendo.
suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml 10 hours ago
This game was on track to be forgotten
Game is just outside the top 50 on steam and had a major content release at the end of June. This ‘game is dying’-because-it-didn’t-indefinitely sustain-player-counts-in-the-top-10 meme is dumb as hell.
HelluvaKick@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
xavier666@lemm.ee 17 hours ago
Haven’t seen this meme for a while.
JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Had to wait until no one gave a shit about Palworld anymore
RxBrad@infosec.pub 19 hours ago
Wait until they make all the money that was to be made on their game.
Then yoink all of that money.
JiveTurkey@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
Fuck you Nintendo.
GaMEChld@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Congrats Nintendo, I’m done with you. SNES, Gameboy, N64, GameCube, Wii, Switch, and now done for good. Cantankerous old dinosaur of a company that has lost touch with the world.
sumguyonline@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Stop buying Nintendo. They can’t create quality new IP’s, just rehashes over and over, at this point she ain’t got a peach, bowser mashed it into a pie, and Mario’s eating it for breakfast, lunch, an after dinner snack.
AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 11 hours ago
The problem is they’re such a large and recognizable company that they could probably switch to making and selling malware and everyone would still buy it without thinking twice. Humanity is full of idiots.
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 22 hours ago
So like…no mention of which patents?
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 21 hours ago
They’re just gonna wing it and hope they have something.
JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.world 22 hours ago
I initially assumed they were referring to the Pokemon franchise but I don’t think that’s related to patents? Maybe it’s a regional thing?
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
Since this is over patent and not copyright, wouldn’t this have to be about patents filed after the year 2003 and before 2024? AFAIK, patents don’t get extended and cannot be re-filed, and Pokemon has existed since the 1990s, where a lot of its patents would have been created. Unless for some reason Nintendo delayed filing the patents for more than 5-10 years but I don’t know that patents are allowed to have such a time gap between publication and filing or not. Perhaps Japan has different patent laws, their laws notoriously favor businesses so I wouldn’t be surprised.
Asditionally, at least in the USA, some things like gameplay elements cannot be patented if they are necessary for the genre of the product. For example, a first person camera, guns, ahooting, etc. are not elements that can be patented as they are necessary for FPS games in general, but some kind of specitic new technology like the way Doom draws its 3D world could be patented.
For a Creature Catcher game like PalWorld, devices (very vague and generic term that legally should not be patentable because it is too generic BTW) to catch, store, and deploy creatures is necessary to the genre. Unless it is specifically code or the same exact way that both PalWorld and PokeMon function, I do not see how Nintendo thinks they can win other than by bankrupting their opposition like usual.
Really hope this one turns out like Lewis Galoob Toys Inc v Nintendo of America, but the Japan version.
jordanlund@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Only surprise here is “Why did it take so long?”
Shadow@lemmy.ca 21 hours ago
Gotta wait until palworld has made a bucket of money for Nintendo to point at, claim damages, then try to take.
SlippiHUD@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
It’s kinda surprising they didn’t sue over the much less legally grey IP infringements.
ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 20 hours ago
Nintendo: Can we sue them over the designs
Lawyer: Not really
…
Lawyer: But we can sue them anyway
Ashtear@lemm.ee 21 hours ago
Similar visual design happens all the time in Japanese media and there’s rarely litigation over it. Patent lawsuits are much more common in Japan.
testuserpleaseupvote@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
That’s some Tauros-shit (sue me). I hope the Japanese legal system can see that.
AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 11 hours ago
It’ll be hard to see that when their vision will be blocked by stacks of yen.
lowleveldata@programming.dev 21 hours ago
Didn’t they like own a shit ton of patents? Which one are we talking about?
ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 21 hours ago
Unsurprising. Flew a little too close to the sun there fellas.
mesamunefire@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
I wonder if they are going to go after the monster tamer genre as a whole ar some point. I can see them going after tem tem, coromon, nextmon, etc…
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
None of those made hundreds of millions of dollars.
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
Digimon did, right? Why didn’t they ever go after that?
NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Anybody who’s played palworld knows the game is nothing like pokemon. What’s next, are they going to claim they are the only company who can make games with 4 legged animals?
june@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 hours ago
They said patent violations, not copyright, so it is about some sort of mechanic or system and not the pals or any specific designs. I’m guessing the thrown ball capture system, since it seems no other developers have published anything using that specifically.
GuillaumeGus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 hours ago
I’m sorry, it’s mostly humanoid furries now with the starter Pokémon…