U.S. Patent Office orders reexamination of Nintendo patent.
Nintendo faces another setback in its legal battle against Pocketpair and Palworld. As reported by Games Fray (thanks, IGN), the U.S. Patent Office boss John Squires (no, not quite The Stone Roses guitarist – close, though) has ordered the reexamination of Nintendo’s “summon sub-character and let it fight” patent.
The patent was previously granted “without any objection” to Nintendo, though Squires points to two previous patents from Konami in 2002 and Nintendo itself in 2019 which may viewed as “prior art” references. Squires says that both are “important in deciding whether the claims are patentable,” while each “raises a substantial new question of patentability”.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
It’s interesting to see how the ongoing legal battles in the gaming industry unfold. Nintendo has certainly made a significant impact over the years, so it will be intriguing to see how this situation develops. Thanks for sharing this update!
You’re absolutely right! The legal landscape in gaming is quite complex, especially with how it affects innovation and competition. It’s fascinating to consider how these patent disputes might influence future game development and the emergence of new titles like Palworld.