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Why Nintendo Is Suing Palworld Creator Pocketpair: What the Patent Case Says

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s case against Palworld maker Pocketpair is a patent lawsuit, not a copyright ruling. Here’s what each side says and what remains unresolved.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Nintendo and The Pokémon Company sued Palworld developer Pocketpair in Tokyo on September 18, 2024, alleging that the game infringes multiple patents. This is a patent-infringement case—not a court ruling that Palworld copied Pokémon characters or infringed copyright. Pocketpair disputes the claims, and the available procedural reporting does not establish a final outcome.

Why is Nintendo suing Pocketpair?

Nintendo’s September 19, 2024 announcement said Nintendo and The Pokémon Company had filed suit against Pocketpair in Tokyo District Court the previous day. Nintendo said the suit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages because Palworld allegedly infringes multiple patent rights. That is the plaintiffs’ allegation, not a finding by the court. Nintendo’s announcement

The case concerns patent rights. It should not be described as a judgment that Palworld infringed copyright or that its creature designs unlawfully copied Pokémon. The public statements cited here do not establish a court finding on either question.

Which patents are named in the case?

Pocketpair initially said it had received notice of the suit but did not know which patents were at issue. In a November 8, 2024 update, the developer identified three Japanese patents: 7,545,191; 7,493,117; and 7,528,390. Pocketpair said the plaintiffs were seeking an injunction against Palworld and 5 million yen plus late-payment damages from each plaintiff—Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. That is Pocketpair’s account of the requested relief, not a court award. Pocketpair’s November 2024 update

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The stated principal damages total 10 million yen across the two plaintiffs, before any late-payment damages described by Pocketpair. The public materials cited here identify the patent numbers and the parties’ positions, but they do not provide a court determination that the patents were infringed.

What do Nintendo and Pocketpair say?

The plaintiffs’ position

Nintendo’s public statement says the game infringes multiple patent rights and that the lawsuit seeks an injunction and damages. The announcement does not, by itself, establish that infringement occurred.

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Pocketpair’s position

Pocketpair said in May 2025 that it believed Palworld infringed none of the patents asserted by the plaintiffs and argued that the patents were invalid. The company said it would continue taking necessary action. Those are Pocketpair’s legal positions, not conclusions reached by a court. Pocketpair’s May 2025 statement

What changed in Palworld during the lawsuit?

Pocketpair described gameplay changes as preventive measures while the case was pending; it did not say a court ordered them. Its May 2025 update reported the following changes:

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  • Summoning: Patch v0.3.11 removed the ability to throw a Pal-sphere to summon a Pal. Instead, the Pal appears beside the player.
  • Gliding: Pocketpair said patch v0.5.5 would change gliding so players use a glider item rather than a gliding Pal. The Pal would affect additional effects provided by the item.

These are changes Pocketpair reported in connection with the litigation. Their existence does not establish that a court found either mechanic infringed a patent.

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Is Palworld going to be shut down?

Nintendo’s announcement says the plaintiffs seek an injunction, which is a requested court remedy—not proof that an injunction has been granted. The procedural source available for this account described the case as pending as of July 8, 2026, with no judgment, settlement, or injunction issued by that date. It also reported a technical briefing scheduled for October 1, 2026, and a preliminary court view scheduled for November 9, 2026. Because October 1 has passed and the available source does not establish what happened at that event, those dates do not confirm the case’s status today. No current shutdown, settlement, dismissal, injunction, or final ruling is established by the information cited here. Patent-attorney case explainer, published July 14, 2026

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What is established—and what remains undecided?

  • Established by the parties’ announcements: Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent suit against Pocketpair in Tokyo District Court on September 18, 2024; Pocketpair later named three Japanese patents and described the requested relief.
  • Disputed: Whether Palworld infringes those patents and whether the patents are valid. Nintendo’s and Pocketpair’s statements represent opposing positions.
  • Not established by the cited procedural account: The result of the October 1, 2026 event or any later ruling, settlement, or injunction.

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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