Nintendo Responds to Palworld’s ‘Prior Art’ Patent Defense

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Nintendo is challenging Pocketpair’s argument in the Palworld patent lawsuit. Pocketpair is trying to claim that player-created modifications (mods) prove their game doesn’t copy Nintendo’s patented technology, but Nintendo believes this argument goes too far and could weaken Pocketpair’s legal defense.

The legal battle between Pocketpair and Nintendo began in September 2024 when Nintendo sued, claiming the game *Palworld* copied technology covered by three of its patents. In April 2025, details of Pocketpair’s defense became public. Pocketpair is fighting the lawsuit on two fronts: arguing that Nintendo’s patents aren’t valid and that *Palworld* doesn’t actually infringe on them. To challenge the patents’ validity, Pocketpair pointed to existing games and fan-made modifications, specifically a *Dark Souls 3* mod called Pocket Souls. They argued that Nintendo didn’t invent the system of aiming at and capturing creatures-like using a Poke Ball-and calculating the chances of success; Pocket Souls demonstrated similar concepts existed before Nintendo’s patents.

Nintendo Argues Mods Aren’t Independent Prior Art in Palworld Patent Fight

In mid-September 2025, Games Fray reported that Nintendo has officially responded to some of Pocketpair’s arguments in the ongoing Palworld patent lawsuit. Nintendo’s legal team is specifically challenging Pocketpair’s use of game modifications (mods) as evidence, stating that mods require the original game to function and shouldn’t be considered existing technology when evaluating the patent.

The Tokyo court will likely make a decision in the Palworld lawsuit within the next few months. If Nintendo wins, it could hurt Pocketpair’s claim that a key patent (JP7493117) is not valid. Pocketpair is using examples of existing work, including modifications made by players, to argue that Nintendo’s ideas weren’t original. Even if the court doesn’t accept that argument, Pocketpair has other defenses it can use.

Why Is Nintendo Concerned About Mods in Palworld Patent Case?

According to patent analyst Florian Mueller, Nintendo’s success in this legal battle depends on a Tokyo court interpreting their patents in a very wide-reaching way. While this approach would make it easier to prove that Pocketpair copied their work, it also risks the patents being declared invalid because they’re too broad and shouldn’t have been patented in the first place. By arguing that modifications (‘mods’) don’t count as existing technology, Nintendo is trying to restrict the evidence Pocketpair can use to challenge the patents’ validity, while still allowing them to claim infringement.

As a big follower of this case, it’s looking like we’re in for a long wait! Apparently, patent lawsuits in Japan typically take 18 to 24 months, so a first ruling probably won’t come until mid-2026. Things got really interesting back in July 2025 when Nintendo actually changed one of their patents *during* the lawsuit! That meant the court had to basically start over with a lot of things, which has really slowed everything down. According to Mueller, who’s been following this closely, we shouldn’t expect any major updates until 2026, and he previously warned this could take years to settle if they don’t reach an agreement.

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2025-09-19 11:34