Nintendo has suffered a setback in its battle against Palworld. The Japanese manufacturer has filed several patents in an attempt to counter Pocketpair’s title, which it accuses of plagiarizing the Pokémon franchise.
The website GamesFray reports that the patent relating to monster capture has finally been rejected by the Japanese patent office. The institution ruled that it didn’t present an innovative idea that didn’t draw on pre-existing concepts. Various games that use this feature were cited as examples. The document mentions ARK: Survival Evolved, Craftopia, Pokémon GO, and Kantai Collection, among others.
Nintendo can now choose to abandon the patent or reapply with modified claims.
