September 19, 2024, 10:59, China Times
[Chen Zhengjia]
Japanese indie game developer Pocketpair launched the open-world survival and creature-catching game “Palworld” in January this year. Many netizens have jokingly called it a “realistic version of Pokémon” due to the design of the creatures “Pals” and gameplay within the game. The game stirred much discussion upon its release. After months of silence, Nintendo officially announced that it will file a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair. Many netizens humorously commented, “The Pal is fat enough, time to kill it.”
According to an official announcement on Nintendo’s website, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed an infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair in the Japanese district court on September 18, accusing “Palworld” of violating multiple patents. They are seeking an injunction and damages for the infringement. Nintendo also stated that it will continue to take all necessary actions to combat any infringements on its intellectual property, protecting the IP rights that Nintendo has worked hard to establish over the years.
In fact, back in January, when “Palworld” was first released, many netizens compared the design of “Pals” to Pokémon. At that time, Nintendo responded, “We will investigate and take appropriate action.” After an eight-month delay, they finally filed the lawsuit.
This case has sparked widespread discussion on PTT, with netizens commenting: “Fat enough?” “Sue them after they get fat so there’s more money to take.” “Big news. When Nintendo sues, they always aim to win.” “They must be targeting those blatantly copied designs, right?” “Not surprising, it was always obvious plagiarism, it was only a matter of time.” “The strongest legal team in the Eastern Hemisphere.”
Some netizens analyzed: “They won’t sue over gameplay, probably something other than the gameplay that crossed the line.” “The use of capturing creatures with balls makes the gameplay too similar, plus the monster designs.” “But Nintendo usually sues over patents; it’s hard to sue over artistic designs.” Pocketpair also announced in July that they had partnered with Sony Music and Aniplex to form a new company, Palworld Entertainment, to accelerate global development and expand the IP beyond games. Some netizens speculated that this partnership with Sony might be one reason behind Nintendo’s lawsuit.
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