The Pokémon Company and Nintendo file lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair

The Pokémon Company and Nintendo have filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Japan against Palworld developer Pocketpair. Nintendo made the announcement this evening via social media and its IR website.

The lawsuit aims to obtain an injunction and seek damages alleging that the game developed and published by Pocketpair Inc. violates several patent rights.

Palworld, often referred to as “Pokemon with guns,” quickly gained popularity attracting over 25 million players within a month of its January launch. In Palworld, players use guns to catch and train cute creatures called “pals.”

Since Palworld’s popularity soared, Pocketpair formed a joint venture known as Palworld Entertainment with Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment.

Today’s announcement comes eight months after both The Pokémon Company and Nintendo stated they would look into and address any violations of intellectual property rights.

Nintendo shared the following post online:

Nintendo Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Minami-ku, Japan; Representative Director and President: Shuntaro Furukawa, “Nintendo” hereafter), together with The Pokémon Company, filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court against Pocketpair, Inc. (HQ: 2-10-2 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, “Defendant” hereafter) on September 18, 2024.

This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.

Nintendo will continue to take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights including the Nintendo brand itself, to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years.

[Source]: Nintendo (Japan): Filing Lawsuit for Infringement of Patent Rights
against Pocketpair, Inc. – [Archive] – [Screenshot].