Japanese patent officials reject one of Nintendo's patents

Japanese Patent Office rejected Nintendo's patent application JP 2024-031879 for creature-capturing mechanics, citing prior art from ARK, Monster Hunter, Craftopia, and Pokémon Go. The rejected application relates to patents Nintendo asserted against Pocketpair in its Palworld lawsuit. JPO found the mechanics lacked inventive step and could be easily developed by those with common technical knowledge. Pocketpair may use this rejection to challenge validity of related patents in ongoing litigation.