1 day Ago By Leah J. Williams
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company are jointly suing developer Pocketpair, alleging infringement of “multiple patent rights” in the design of the game. The lawsuit has been filed in the Tokyo District Court, and reportedly seeks both an injunction against this infringement, and compensation for damages. This follows much debate around and , including ample debate about some Pal designs that appear to resemble Pokemon.
As this debate kicked off around the launch of the game in early 2024, Nintendo issued a public statement that it would investigate the game and take action where necessary. “We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024,” the company . “We have not granted any permission for the use of intellectual property or assets in that game.
We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the .” A period of silence following this statement indicated that legal proceedings would not go ahead, but it does appear Nintendo and The Pokemon Company will now pursue the matter in a court of law. “The Pokemon Company, together with Nintendo Co.
, Ltd., filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo Distrct Court against Pocketpair, Inc ..
. on 18 September 2024,” it has . “This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that , a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.
” “Nintendo will continue to take appropriate actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights.” Pocketpair is yet to respond, although CEO Takuro Mizobe did that had been cleared in legal reviews, and the team was reportedly not expecting a legal case against it. In the weeks and months ahead, we’re likely to hear plenty more about this case, as Nintendo pursues its case against Pocketpair.
Currently, it’s unclear whether this complication will have an impact on ongoing game development at the studio, and . Stay tuned for more..
