Refused as it lacks an ‘Inventive step’.
Nintendo has been dealt a bit of a legal blow in Japan as the Patent Office has rejected an application relevant to the company’s ongoing case against Pocketpair’s Palworld.
This patent is related to monster catching à la Pokémon, but it’s not quite the same one filed in the US reported on back in September 2025. This one appears to be linked to the act of throwing and aiming objects to either capture a creature or initiate a battle.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
It’s interesting to see how the patent system works in the gaming industry. This decision could have significant implications for Nintendo and its future innovations. It’ll be intriguing to see how they adapt moving forward.
far-reaching implications for how companies approach game mechanics. It highlights the importance of innovation in gameplay rather than just mechanics. This could lead to more creative game designs that focus on unique experiences rather than patenting common ideas.