The Pokémon Company’s January 2024 statement said it would investigate an unnamed game; it did not name Palworld or announce a lawsuit. In September 2024, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a separate patent-infringement suit against Palworld developer Pocketpair. Neither announcement established that a court had found plagiarism or infringement.
What The Pokémon Company said in January 2024
On January 25, 2024, The Pokémon Company published a statement titled “Inquiries Regarding Other Companies’ Games.” It said the company had received inquiries about a game released that month, had not granted permission to use Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game, and intended to investigate and take appropriate measures regarding acts infringing Pokémon-related intellectual-property rights.
The statement did not identify the game. Contemporaneous reporting, including Liam Doolan’s January 25, 2024 report for Nintendo Life, identified it as Palworld. That identification is journalistic context, not wording from The Pokémon Company’s announcement. The company’s statement said: “We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon.”
That was an investigation notice, not a filed lawsuit or a finding that Palworld had infringed anyone’s rights. The statement also did not specifically accuse Pocketpair of plagiarism.
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What the September 2024 lawsuit alleges
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair in the Tokyo District Court on September 18, 2024. Nintendo’s September 19 release described the case as a patent-infringement action concerning Palworld. It said the plaintiffs sought an injunction and damages, alleging that the game infringed multiple patent rights.
The legal basis in that announcement was patent infringement—not a plagiarism claim or a copyright suit over character art. Nintendo’s release stated: “This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.” That is the plaintiffs’ allegation and description of the relief they sought, not a court’s conclusion.
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How the January statement differs from the lawsuit
| Issue | January 2024 statement | September 2024 lawsuit |
|---|---|---|
| Who issued it | The Pokémon Company | Nintendo and The Pokémon Company |
| What it did | Announced an intention to investigate an unnamed game and take appropriate measures regarding Pokémon-related intellectual-property rights | Filed a case against Pocketpair in Tokyo District Court |
| Legal description in the source | General intellectual-property language; no specific legal claim named | Alleged infringement of multiple patent rights |
| What it does not establish | That a suit had been filed or that infringement had been found | That the allegations were proven or that a court had ruled |
Which patents and remedies Pocketpair later identified
In a November 8, 2024 report, Pocketpair said the plaintiffs alleged infringement of Japanese patents 7545191, 7493117, and 7528390. Pocketpair also summarized the requested relief as an injunction and payment of ¥5 million to each plaintiff—¥5 million to The Pokémon Company and ¥5 million to Nintendo—plus late-payment damages. These are details from Pocketpair’s account of the claims, not findings by the court.
Pocketpair’s September 19, 2024 response said it had received notice of the lawsuit and would begin legal proceedings and investigations. At that point, the company said it did not know which specific patents were at issue. In its November report, Pocketpair said it would continue to assert its position through future legal proceedings.
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A December 2025 legal analysis discussed changes to Palworld’s gameplay and a separate rejection of a Japanese patent application. Those developments provide context, but they do not decide the lawsuit against Pocketpair.
In July 2026, Patent Arcade reported that the plaintiffs had narrowed their claims to older versions of Palworld and that an October 1, 2026 hearing was scheduled, with a court opinion expected in November. The sources available here do not establish what happened at that hearing or any later ruling. No verdict, settlement, or injunction is established by those reports.
Why “plagiarism” needs qualification
“Palworld plagiarism” is a common shorthand for public arguments about perceived similarities between the games. It is not the legal claim named in Nintendo’s September 2024 announcement. The official lawsuit release describes alleged patent infringement; the January statement uses broader intellectual-property language and does not name Palworld. Keep those public accusations, company statements, and court allegations distinct: none of the cited announcements or reporting establishes a judicial finding of plagiarism, copyright infringement, or patent infringement.
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