Pocketpair Reveals 'Patents' Subject To Nintendo's 'Palworld' Lawsuit, And Indeed One Of Them Is The 'Aiming' Patent

When Nintendo sued Palworld developers Pocketpair seven weeks ago, it raised eyebrows by suing the company on mysterious "patent infringement" claims, rather than copyright infringement, which many saw as Nintendo's most obvious avenue for legal action given how closely the designs of Pals align with the designs of Pokémon.

Today, the patents allegedly infringed upon were revealed by Pocketpair in a new update on the ongoing lawsuit between the two video game companies.

Three of the patents are the target of Nintendo's lawsuit, and it is suing Pocketpair for 10 million yen (roughly $65,250) plus late fees, with 5 million yen to Nintendo and 5 million to The Pokémon Company.

As suspected by some weeks ago, two of the patents targeted involve the "aim" system used in Palworld, in essence meaning Nintendo is claiming Palworld nicked its "aim and throw" system the company utilized in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The third regards a monster-riding mechanic that Pocketpair allegedly infringed upon.

The update led to intensified backlash against Nintendo, as many found the patent lawsuit frivolous. Others also found it legally dubious, as in Pocketpair's update, the allegedly violated patents were applied for and registered in 2024 after Palworld released, but that's misleading, as the patents were accepted in 2021 and revised in 2024.

It remains to be seen if Pocketpair will fight the lawsuit, though the company said, "We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings," in its update.

At the very least, social media voiced that the $66,000 lawsuit shouldn't bankrupt Pocketpair should it lose the lawsuit.