Nintendo obtains new Patent in US

[McGoodGreen]

So, lots of people were feeling pretty confident Pocket Pair was gonna be able to climb over the Patent issues they were facing in Japan, or at least minimize damages since courts over in Japan are notorious for approving pretty ridiculous patents and surely here in the US we would be more just.

But Nintendo just scored a US patent that also seems to aim to protect "Pokemon" mechanics. I think we can confidently start saying just because Pocketpair has found success here in the West it doesn't mean it is a safe haven if legal proceedings hit the fan.

Identified by U.S. patent number 12,220,638, the patent, published on February 11, describes a gameplay system for capturing creatures. The invention is conceptually similar to a USPTO patent (no. 12,179,111) that Nintendo already secured at the tail end of 2024, with both of them being part of the patent family that's at the center of the Palworld lawsuit.

When Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed for this patent application in July 2024, they knew the original Palworld, which was already about six months old. But they did not know the changes that Pocketpair made to Palworld in December 2024, Those changes being the infamous removal of Pal throw summons.

This new patent approval paves the way for Nintendo to bring this legal battle into the US, which means they are prepared to throw even more money at this. The changes are obviously aimed at Palworld even though this is all a continuation of a December 2021 application, with the continuation application having been filed in September 2022.

It is too early to say whether Nintendo can actually get any value out of two recent U.S. patents on catching characters and launching fighting characters. but it is very likely even if they don't add a lot to the fight that Nintendo is gearing up to sue Pocketpair in the US as well.

See below a significant portion of the US patent, and the broadest of the claims within it. Remember this is U.S. Patent No. 12,220,638 ( granted February 11, 2025). This builds upon and further explores things brought up in U.S. Patent No. 12,179,111 (December 31, 2024).

1. A method for game processing implemented via an information processing system having at least one processor, the method comprising:

generating data for display of a player character and a first virtual character disposed in a virtual space;

determining an aiming direction based on a direction input; and

in association with the player character performing a first game action:

generating data for display of a first aiming point associated with the aiming direction;

generating data for display of an indicator indicating a likelihood of success of the player character obtaining the first virtual character;

selecting an obtaining item, from a plurality of obtaining items, by performing a first operation input;

generating data for display of the player character launching, in the aiming direction, the obtaining item for obtaining the first virtual character in the virtual space, based on a second operation input;

determining obtaining of the first virtual character, by the player character, as successful in association with the obtaining item arriving with a vicinity of the first virtual character; and

generating data for display of setting the first virtual character as being in possession by the player character in association with determining the first virtual character as successfully obtained, and

in association with the player character performing a second game action:

generating data for display of a second aiming point associated with the aiming direction;

generating data for display of the player character launching, in the aiming direction, a first virtual object representing the obtained first virtual character, based on a third operation input; and

generating data for display of the first virtual character and a second virtual character starting fighting against each other in the virtual space.

[McGoodGreen]

brianloveslisa lähetti viestin:

funewchie lähetti viestin:

Should've been several thousand more rejected.

In any case, one upside, is that all of Nintendo's patents from 2004 and before are now expired and CANNOT be renewed.
Meaning all of the game mechanics in Pokemon Red and Blue they patented are up for grabs.
(And as I understand it, there is a time limit to filing for a patent, so they can't go back and file for anything in them that they missed)

Would be a REAL shame if someone swooped in and took ALL those patents, then sued Nintendo for using anything in them. A real shame.

If only rich corporations tore each other apart like this instead of eventually settling and colluding to make the whole market insufferable.

One of the reasons I am enjoying watching the legal battle between Pocketpair and Nintendo. One of the few cases of something happening that could actually be healthy for the game market if Pocketpair can win big and set a strong precedent.

[funewchie]

McGoodGreen lähetti viestin:

brianloveslisa lähetti viestin:

Would be a REAL shame if someone swooped in and took ALL those patents, then sued Nintendo for using anything in them. A real shame.

If only rich corporations tore each other apart like this instead of eventually settling and colluding to make the whole market insufferable.

"People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public." -- Adam Smith

[IrradiatedJake]

I went to Nintendo's contact us to provide feedback that I don't support their lawsuit against Pocketpair's Palworld and I think we should get to enjoy both games and worlds. I feel that Nintendo is being petty. Definitely routing for Palworld here.

[SoulReaperAxel]

Nintendo is just a child at this point, trying to get wat they want

[drakeloreroar]

SoulReaperAxel lähetti viestin:

Nintendo is just a child at this point, trying to get wat they want

You act like this is a new thing. Nintendo has been doing this sort of stuff since the 80s starting with their exclusivity requirements. You either played by their rules or didn't play at all.

[funewchie]

drakeloreroar lähetti viestin:

SoulReaperAxel lähetti viestin:

Nintendo is just a child at this point, trying to get wat they want

You act like this is a new thing. Nintendo has been doing this sort of stuff since the 80s starting with their exclusivity requirements. You either played by their rules or didn't play at all.

Like when they tried to sue Galoob to try and kill the Game Genie, to force players to play Nintendo's way?
(Especially as old NES games relied on bad design and extreme difficulty to mask their ridiculously short length, thus Nintendo needed you to suffer and lose in-game)

Or tried to kill the rental market, to force those "filthy westerners" to actually buy their overpriced crap instead of renting for cheap?

[McGoodGreen]

IrradiatedJake lähetti viestin:

I went to Nintendo's contact us to provide feedback that I don't support their lawsuit against Pocketpair's Palworld and I think we should get to enjoy both games and worlds. I feel that Nintendo is being petty. Definitely routing for Palworld here.

I actually admire you took the time to do this. Reminds me of the essays I gave to Hulu and Disney+ about why I canceled with them over their whole supplying money to bad stuff I won't get into because I don't wanna get political.

But these corporations are fueled entirely by money. If public perception gets big and negative enough, it can force them to change course on things. And feedback like you have is part of how that message gets sent.

The number just needs to be greatly amplified.

With legal stuff they really count on public perception just starting to forget. Which is an easy bet with how long court things take and the general attention span of any collective public.

[UrbanNoodles]

To save everyone the time of reading or caring about any of this, just read my post: None of this matters. Nintendo can't do ♥♥♥♥. Palworld will never be taken down.

[McGoodGreen]

UrbanNoodles lähetti viestin:

To save everyone the time of reading or caring about any of this, just read my post: None of this matters. Nintendo can't do ♥♥♥♥. Palworld will never be taken down.

This is a pretty petty mindset. If it were true that Palworld were immune they wouldn't have already had to make a massive change to their summoning mechanics that over all was very ill received.

Who cares if the games "running" if it keeps getting neutered into something the majority cannot stand?

Its this sort of "invincibility" mindset that makes people lazy and keeps them complacent. We aren't assured anything and the longer we remain ignorant and uninvolved the worse things will get.

Don't be ignorant.

[funewchie]

UrbanNoodles lähetti viestin:

To save everyone the time of reading or caring about any of this, just read my post: None of this matters. Nintendo can't do ♥♥♥♥. Palworld will never be taken down.

Money makes anything legal, or possible.
Nintendo bribes a judge, guess what, they win the court injunction and Palworld goes bye-bye.
And of course, they're filing these patents in the USA, which will become legally binding in this country as well.

Lawyers (with Nintendo as Darth Sidious):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7UXig7_-Rg

[drakeloreroar]

funewchie lähetti viestin:

Money makes anything legal, or possible.
Nintendo bribes a judge, guess what, they win the court injunction and Palworld goes bye-bye.
And of course, they're filing these patents in the USA, which will become legally binding in this country as well.

Mostly correct. But the Injunction could only block sale and support of the game in Japan. While it's true Pocketpair are Japan-based since the launch of Palworld they've become an international publishing company which buys them some protection from Monopolistic practices elsewhere.

The biggest threat from the lawsuit at the moment is the back-payment for violations which is effectively a blank check for Nintendo to fill in, hence why they had to change the summoning mechanics and add the modules which change your throwing style thus making it unique (though for that one i could see the MLB suing Nintendo for trying to claim they own a baseball pitch).

[IMA_BENDO]

McGoodGreen lähetti viestin:

So, lots of people were feeling pretty confident Pocket Pair was gonna be able to climb over the Patent issues they were facing in Japan, or at least minimize damages since courts over in Japan are notorious for approving pretty ridiculous patents and surely here in the US we would be more just.

But Nintendo just scored a US patent that also seems to aim to protect "Pokemon" mechanics. I think we can confidently start saying just because Pocketpair has found success here in the West it doesn't mean it is a safe haven if legal proceedings hit the fan.

Identified by U.S. patent number 12,220,638, the patent, published on February 11, describes a gameplay system for capturing creatures. The invention is conceptually similar to a USPTO patent (no. 12,179,111) that Nintendo already secured at the tail end of 2024, with both of them being part of the patent family that's at the center of the Palworld lawsuit.

When Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed for this patent application in July 2024, they knew the original Palworld, which was already about six months old. But they did not know the changes that Pocketpair made to Palworld in December 2024, Those changes being the infamous removal of Pal throw summons.

This new patent approval paves the way for Nintendo to bring this legal battle into the US, which means they are prepared to throw even more money at this. The changes are obviously aimed at Palworld even though this is all a continuation of a December 2021 application, with the continuation application having been filed in September 2022.

It is too early to say whether Nintendo can actually get any value out of two recent U.S. patents on catching characters and launching fighting characters. but it is very likely even if they don't add a lot to the fight that Nintendo is gearing up to sue Pocketpair in the US as well.

See below a significant portion of the US patent, and the broadest of the claims within it. Remember this is U.S. Patent No. 12,220,638 ( granted February 11, 2025). This builds upon and further explores things brought up in U.S. Patent No. 12,179,111 (December 31, 2024).

1. A method for game processing implemented via an information processing system having at least one processor, the method comprising:

generating data for display of a player character and a first virtual character disposed in a virtual space;

determining an aiming direction based on a direction input; and

in association with the player character performing a first game action:

generating data for display of a first aiming point associated with the aiming direction;

generating data for display of an indicator indicating a likelihood of success of the player character obtaining the first virtual character;

selecting an obtaining item, from a plurality of obtaining items, by performing a first operation input;

generating data for display of the player character launching, in the aiming direction, the obtaining item for obtaining the first virtual character in the virtual space, based on a second operation input;

determining obtaining of the first virtual character, by the player character, as successful in association with the obtaining item arriving with a vicinity of the first virtual character; and

generating data for display of setting the first virtual character as being in possession by the player character in association with determining the first virtual character as successfully obtained, and

in association with the player character performing a second game action:

generating data for display of a second aiming point associated with the aiming direction;

generating data for display of the player character launching, in the aiming direction, a first virtual object representing the obtained first virtual character, based on a third operation input; and

generating data for display of the first virtual character and a second virtual character starting fighting against each other in the virtual space.

SO we all know how lame this all is and how worthless Pokemon has been to the innovation to the monster catching genre, I'd rather have pocketpair's palworld than Pokemon remakes, sorry not sorry being a gym master is lame as ♥♥♥♥

[Gamma Zark]

I'm not too worried since it was 1 out 23. Nintendo is in a dangerous game right now. They could bully the lil pocketpait in jaopan but crossing to the USA, they may draw the ire of Squarsoft, capcom, & god knows who else.

[brianloveslisa]

Gamma Zark lähetti viestin:

I'm not too worried since it was 1 out 23. Nintendo is in a dangerous game right now. They could bully the lil pocketpait in jaopan but crossing to the USA, they may draw the ire of Squarsoft, capcom, & god knows who else.

the worse people they could draw the ire of is the shareholders :D

[drakeloreroar]

brianloveslisa lähetti viestin:

Gamma Zark lähetti viestin:

I'm not too worried since it was 1 out 23. Nintendo is in a dangerous game right now. They could bully the lil pocketpait in jaopan but crossing to the USA, they may draw the ire of Squarsoft, capcom, & god knows who else.

the worse people they could draw the ire of is the shareholders :D

the WORST ire they could draw is that of the FTC who could kick them out of the country and bar them from doing business in the US altogether.