Trending Now - Nintendo's Pokémon Fighting Patent Denied by US Patent Office

WHO:

Nintendo Life - Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Pocketpair, Florian Mueller, John Squires, Don McGowan, Kirk Sigmon, Takuro Mizobe

IGN - John “Bucky” Buckley

WHAT:

Nintendo Life - The US Patent Office (USPTO) has rejected Nintendo's 'summon character and let it fight' Pokémon patent.

Nintendo Life - All 26 claims made in the patent have been rejected.

IGN - The rejection is non-final, allowing Nintendo two months to respond or appeal.

IGN - Nintendo is seeking 5 million yen (approximately $32,846) plus late payment damages against Pocketpair.

WHERE:

Nintendo Life - The legal battle is taking place in Japan, specifically involving Pocketpair's game Palworld.

IGN - The USPTO is located in the United States.

WHEN:

Nintendo Life - The USPTO director ordered a reexamination of the patent in November 2025.

IGN - The patent was granted to Nintendo in 2025.

IGN - The lawsuit against Pocketpair began after Palworld's launch in early 2024.

WHY:

Nintendo Life - The patent was heavily criticized by IP lawyers for being too broad and based on prior art.

IGN - The rejection was influenced by the widespread use of similar mechanics in other games, such as Digimon and Persona.

HOW:

Nintendo Life - The rejection was based on prior art references from previous US patent applications, including patents granted to Nintendo, Konami, and Bandai Namco.

IGN - Nintendo filed divisional patents derived from earlier patents in response to Palworld's success.

(UPDATED April 2, 2026 05:32 UTC)

The US Patent Office has rejected all 26 claims of Nintendo's patent related to summoning characters to fight, a decision that is non-final and allows Nintendo two months to respond or appeal. This legal battle is taking place in Japan, where Nintendo is also seeking approximately $32,846 in damages against Pocketpair, the developers of the game Palworld, which launched in early 2024. The rejection stems from criticisms that the patent was too broad and based on prior art, with influences from similar mechanics seen in other games like Digimon and Persona.