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Nintendo and The Pokémon Company Sue Palworld Developer Pocketpair

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent lawsuit against Pocketpair in Tokyo in September 2024. The claims, patent list and requested damages are not a court ruling.
Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair in Tokyo on September 18, 2024, and announced it the next day. The suit seeks an injunction and damages; it is an allegation, not a court finding that Pocketpair infringed a patent.

What Nintendo and The Pokémon Company allege

Nintendo said the companies filed their lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court, alleging that Palworld infringes multiple patent rights. Their announcement says they seek an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages. Those are the plaintiffs’ claims and requested remedies—not a ruling on infringement or liability. Nintendo’s September 19, 2024 announcement gives September 18 as the filing date.

Which patents are involved?

Pocketpair initially said it did not know which specific patents the plaintiffs alleged were infringed. In a November 8, 2024 update, it identified three Japanese patents that it said the plaintiffs had asserted. The application and registration dates below are as reported by Pocketpair; they do not establish the patents’ scope, validity, or whether Palworld infringes them.

Japanese patent number Application date Registration date
7,545,191 July 30, 2024 August 27, 2024
7,493,117 February 26, 2024 May 22, 2024
7,528,390 March 5, 2024 July 26, 2024

All three patent numbers and dates are from Pocketpair’s November 8, 2024 statement.

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How much money are the plaintiffs seeking?

Pocketpair reported that the plaintiffs sought an injunction against Palworld and 5 million yen plus late-payment damages payable to The Pokémon Company, as well as 5 million yen plus late-payment damages payable to Nintendo. The two stated base amounts total 10 million yen, before late-payment damages. They are requested amounts, not an award, settlement, or finding by a court.

What did Pocketpair say?

In its initial September 19, 2024 response, Pocketpair said it had received notice of the lawsuit and would begin appropriate legal proceedings and investigate the allegations. It said it was then unaware of the specific patents at issue. The company also said it intended to keep improving Palworld and creating games. That initial statement predates Pocketpair’s November update identifying the three patents. Read Pocketpair’s September 19, 2024 response.

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Has Nintendo won the Palworld lawsuit?

The official party statements cited here do not report a merits judgment. A June 2026 Windows Central report described the case as pending and reported an October 1, 2026 hearing and a November 9, 2026 preliminary disclosure of the court’s views. As of October 8, 2026, the reported October hearing date had passed, but its outcome could not be verified in the available sources. No conclusion about the court’s eventual decision follows from the reported schedule. Windows Central’s June 2026 report is a secondary account.

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  • Perfect graphic apparel for fans of Video Games, Creature Collecting, Open World Games, Cute Animals, Funny Games, and Pocketpair.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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