Nintendo Secures New U.S. Patents Amid Ongoing Palworld Legal Battle

Credit: Pokémon Company

Nintendo has obtained two new patents in the United States amid its ongoing legal dispute with Pocketpair, the developers of Palworld.

In September 2024, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit in Japan against Pocketpair, accusing Palworld of infringing on multiple patents, particularly those tied to creature capture and ride-switching mechanics. While that case remains limited to Japan, Nintendo’s recent U.S. patent activity signals that the dispute could eventually expand beyond Japanese courts.

What Are Nintendo’s Latest Patents

On September 2, 2025, Nintendo was issued U.S. Patent No. 12,403,397. This patent describes a gameplay system where a player can summon a "sub-character" into battle. If the summoned helper appears directly onto an enemy, combat begins through manual player input. If not, the summoned character moves in a direction specified by the player and automatically engages in combat upon encountering an enemy.

At first glance, the patent might sound very specific, but critics argue its scope is surprisingly broad. Florian Mueller, a patent analyst at Games Fray, called it “not merely annoying but actually shocking,” warning that the patent could restrict creativity across the entire industry. After all, summoning allies into combat is a mechanic seen in countless games, from JRPGs to action RPGs.

Just a week later, on September 9, Nintendo secured another patent—U.S. Patent No. 12,409,387. This one focuses on “smooth switching of riding objects,” a system that Pocketpair already had to work around in Palworld. While this specific patent may not give Nintendo immediate leverage against the current version of the game, it still hangs over Pocketpair’s head if they ever try to restore features they previously removed.

The new summoning patent doesn’t directly connect to Nintendo’s Japanese lawsuit against Palworld. According to reports, its claims only partially resemble mechanics in Pocketpair’s game. Still, the very existence of such a patent makes it easier for Nintendo to build legal arguments in the future.

Pocketpair, for its part, has been fighting back. Earlier in 2025, the studio challenged the validity of Nintendo’s patents while also arguing that Palworld does not infringe on them.

As for the ongoing Palworld case in Japan, it hasn’t seen any recent public updates. According to a report by Games Fray in April 2025, court files were temporarily unavailable, suggesting delays. That means we’ll likely have to wait longer before any resolution comes through.