The patent was registered in September 2025, but it has now been determined that many of its claims are invalid. That does not mean Nintendo’s legal battle with Pocketpair is suddenly over, but it does mean the company has taken a notable hit in a fight it clearly hoped to tighten. The development is not directly tied to the lawsuit itself, yet it grows out of the same broader effort by the creators of Super Mario to shield the Pokémon IP. What makes it especially striking is that a patent already approved for Nintendo has been reviewed again and suspended until further notice.

It’s been quite some time since the legal battle began, but Nintendo’s lawsuit against Pocketpair over the development of Palworld is far from over. In fact, news has emerged today that, while not directly related to the litigation, stems from the efforts of the creators of Super Mario to protect the Pokémon IP. And it’s a rather exceptional development: one of the patents approved for Nintendo in 2025 has been reviewed and is now suspended until further notice.

To understand what happened, it’s important to remember the context in which the whole situation unfolded. In September 2025, Nintendo registered a handful of video game patents with the USPTO, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including the mechanic of summoning a second character to fight enemies, either by directly controlling the helper or through automated movements. In simpler terms, Nintendo had obtained official permission to protect a feature present in Pokémon and Palworld, as well as many other games in the industry, such as the Persona series. However, the situation took an unexpected turn in November when the USPTO director, John A. Squires, requested a re-examination of Nintendo’s registration – an unusual move given that the last time a patent case was ordered to be reviewed was back in 2012.

And we have the verdict: after comparing the mechanics proposed by Nintendo with other patents approved in the past, the USPTO has determined that many of the claims presented by the Japanese company are invalid. Thus, the registration is officially canceled, although this is not a final decision that gives Nintendo some leeway to act and reverse the situation.

The Problems Found in Nintendo’s Patent

So, what exactly caused this change? GamesFray provides more context, explaining that it all stems from a combination of patents previously registered with the USPTO, the characteristics of which invalidated Nintendo’s proposal. Essentially, the Super Mario creators’ idea comprised 26 patent claims, which define the scope of legal protection, and the USPTO found prior claims from Nintendo, Konami, and Bandai Namco that, when combined, conflicted with Nintendo’s proposals. These are essentially different patents, named Taura, Yabe, Motokura, and Shimomoto, that also pertain to video game features.

• Taura. A Nintendo trademark. It refers to “summoning and fighting in one of two modes” and is responsible for invalidating a large portion of Nintendo’s 26 patent claims. It doesn’t cover everything, so the USPTO had to combine the following references to completely invalidate the rest of the claim.
• Yabe and Motokura. The former from Konami and the latter from Nintendo. When combined with Taura, it conflicts with most of Nintendo’s 26 patent claims. But eight are exempt, and this is where the last reference comes into play.
• Shimomoto. From Bandai Namco. According to the USPTO, it is the “missing link” to invalidate the eight remaining patent claims.

GamesFray points out that it’s normal for the USPTO to consider Nintendo’s previously approved patents when rejecting another application filed by the same company. In this regard, US patent law operates with validation processes that take into account both previously approved patents and publicly available information, artwork, and mechanics. In short, this is how the procedure works, and it has now affected Nintendo’s latest move.

The Options Available for Nintendo

However, the battle is not lost for Nintendo. To begin with, the Japanese company has two months to respond to the USPTO’s annulment, and can extend this time if requested, and present arguments in its favor. Should Nintendo remain passive, or should the US agency’s review committee reject its defense, the process will continue until it concludes with a final annulment.

Meanwhile, the invalidation of most of the 26 patent claims isn’t the end of the world for the company. Nintendo’s lawyers can still use the remaining references to sue video games that use the mechanics protected by the USPTO. However, their potential and focus would be significantly reduced. And perhaps this isn’t what the group is seeking in its current litigation against the creators of Palworld.

Meanwhile, Pocketpair continues to thrive with its monster-hunting and survival experience. In fact, the game has proven to be more than just a passing fad, earning a mention on Steam’s Best of 2025 list, demonstrating that its experience remains a resounding success even two years after its early access launch. As if that weren’t enough, the developers continue to expand their universe with offerings for all tastes and reminded everyone today, on April Fool’s Day, that a Palworld dating sim is on the way.

Source: 3DJuegos