Palworld developers challenge Nintendo's patents using examples from Zelda, ARK: Survival, Tomb Raider, Titanfall 2 and many more huge titles

Draugoth

Draugoth

Gold Member
uQwZMdVvP3oFCZ3fNkrwvH-970-80.jpg.webp


Pocketpair are challenging Nintendo's patents by pointing to prior art — existing games and technologies that allegedly contain similar mechanics that Nintendo has not also challenged.

The argument here is that these patents should not have been granted to Nintendo in the first place, because the claimed mechanics were already in use.

Pocketpair references a wide range of games, including Craftopia (their own title), ARK: Survival Evolved, Rune Factory 5, and even Nintendo's Legend of Zelda.

Mods like Pixelmon for Minecraft and Nukamon for Fallout 4 are also part of their defense, so even user-made mods have been listed in their defence.

Here's the full list of games stated in the case, as painstakingly listed by GamesFray.

Article:
Palworld developers challenge Nintendo's patents using examples from Zelda, ARK: Survival, Tomb Raider, Titanfall 2 and many more huge titles
 
I'm curious what their legal theory is, but I'm not an expert on how it works in Japanese law. In the US at least, if you fail to protect your trademark, for example, in the past, then you can lose the right to enforce it in the future. The same is not generally true in copyright, but whatever. Patents are different, but it's all kinda muddy. Stretching that to suggest that, because Nintendo didn't assert their rights with other games that got copied, they suddenly can't do it here is... audacious.
 
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Robb said:
Confused Will Ferrell GIF


Why would they challenge themselves on their own patents?
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The idea is to show the patent's weren't novel ideas when they were created, so technically even nintendo's own game's released before the patent could count. "Why weren't the patents made back then when they released x?" or something along those lines.
 
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Shubh_C63 said:
Nintendo says thank you for the research and goes on to strike each of the developers now.
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Thankfully nintendo only knows how to bully the weak. Will they have the courage to go after Square Enix and Capcom? For games that released before said patents nonetheless?
 
Guilty_AI said:
The idea is to show the patent's weren't novel ideas when they were created, so technically even nintendo's own game's released before the patent could count. "Why weren't the patents made back then when they released x?" or something along those lines.
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Ah, that'd make more sense. Good.

I hope they don't fumble this.
 
Good luck to Pocketpair. What about Metroidvania's? Is Nintendo going to go after all the Metroid-like games too? Or just games like Pokemon that made a lot of MONEY

Plotting Super Mario GIF by Gaming GIFs
 
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Guilty_AI said:
Thankfully nintendo only knows how to bully the weak. Will they have the courage to go after Square Enix and Capcom? For games that released before said patents nonetheless?
Click to expand...
Yup, Nintendo only act tough against small fish only, the bigger they become Nintendo wouldn't dare to speak up..let alone sue them
 
Guilty_AI said:
The idea is to show the patent's weren't novel ideas when they were created, so technically even nintendo's own game's released before the patent could count. "Why weren't the patents made back then when they released x?" or something along those lines.
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This has precedence to. Microsoft vs Lindows where the judge questioned why Microsoft went after these guys now despite other companies like Xerox and Apple having used Windows like OS'es for years. Almost loosing the Windows trademark in the process.

Microsoft Corp. v. Lindows.com, Inc. - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Draugoth said:
Tomb Raider originally created by Core Design
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They didn't challenge it because the game was announced months before Nintendo showed their Prototype version of Mario 64 when it was called Ultra 64 Mario Brothers
and released the following year as it had been in development prior years before.
In fact the only thing that existed at the time Tomb Raider was originally shown was Mario's talking head.
Not saying anyone copied, Mario might well have been in development before.
But Core Design did Announce and show TR before Mario 64 was known to the world.
And in the Technology world that means they was first even if Development started before hand.
 
Draugoth said:
uQwZMdVvP3oFCZ3fNkrwvH-970-80.jpg.webp


Pocketpair are challenging Nintendo's patents by pointing to prior art — existing games and technologies that allegedly contain similar mechanics that Nintendo has not also challenged.

The argument here is that these patents should not have been granted to Nintendo in the first place, because the claimed mechanics were already in use.

Pocketpair references a wide range of games, including Craftopia (their own title), ARK: Survival Evolved, Rune Factory 5, and even Nintendo's Legend of Zelda.

Mods like Pixelmon for Minecraft and Nukamon for Fallout 4 are also part of their defense, so even user-made mods have been listed in their defence.

Here's the full list of games stated in the case, as painstakingly listed by GamesFray.

Article:
Palworld developers challenge Nintendo's patents using examples from Zelda, ARK: Survival, Tomb Raider, Titanfall 2 and many more huge titles
Click to expand...
God bless them. Fuck Nintendo.
 
Nintendo CAN'T be allowed to win this. That would literally kill the entire Indie game scene, with AAA games surviving purely because they can afford lawyers.

Nintendo make great games, but that also means they don't have to nice to customers or anyone else. But a line has to be drawn when it ends up becoming an act of evil.
 
Nintendo's mistake was to spend too much time for even finding s reason to create a case while Pocketpair became too rich and now can hire an expensive lawyer firm. An we're not counting newfound partners like Sony and Krafton behind Pocketpairs back.

You can't just bend over PP now, Nintendo. They are not some emulation enthusiasts or fans that are cursed to live in countries within Nintendo's law consulting reach. Gameplay patents can frag right off and Nintendo is clearly making a point so moot that they can eat Yoshis shit. I'm glad that Pocketpair have enough money and leveragex to fight back instead of bending the knee, because they've laid out a solid defence here. Plus this legal extortion needs to stop at some point.
 
Kotaro said:
Go get'em Nintendo!!

Nintendo needs to tariff this mfers for every single palword copy they sold :messenger_pouting: :messenger_pouting: :messenger_pouting:
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Donkey Kong was a reskinned Popeye game when Nintendo couldn't get the IP rights. So Donkey Kong needed to pay the Popeye owner William Randolph Hearst, money. This means paying for the last 44 years, at least according to you.
 
Can't take them seriously with that Lucario blatant rip off in the OP lol but I hope Nintendo loses anyway, I don't want companies patenting game mechanics
 
Hopefully it works out, I absolutely fucking loathe game developers who try to patent generic gameplay systems/mechanics, because the majority of the time they didn't even invent the idea at all, and just riffed on another developer or came up with something that has an obvious real-world analog.
 
DeltaPolarBear said:
Donkey Kong was a reskinned Popeye game when Nintendo couldn't get the IP rights. So Donkey Kong needed to pay the Popeye owner William Randolph Hearst, money. This means paying for the last 44 years, at least according to you.
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Yep, it was initially supposed to be a classic Popeye tale. Mario was Popeye, Kong was Bluto, Peach was Olive Oyl.

bitbydeath said:
Square could pull this on them if they did.

images
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Wow, some of the Pokemon designs are straight rip-offs.
 
Palworld is way better game than Pokemon so am with Pocket Pair.

Make worse games, then sue those who do better.

Beyond pathetic.
 
It would be terrible for the videogame industry and gamers alike, if Nintendo wins this case. It would set a precedent that would stifle videogames for decades to come.
 
TGO said:
They didn't challenge it because the game was announced months before Nintendo showed their Prototype version of Mario 64 when it was called Ultra 64 Mario Brothers
and released the following year as it had been in development prior years before.
In fact the only thing that existed at the time Tomb Raider was originally shown was Mario's talking head.
Not saying anyone copied, Mario might well have been in development before.
But Core Design did Announce and show TR before Mario 64 was known to the world.
And in the Technology world that means they was first even if Development started before hand.
Click to expand...
And its not like either was the first ever fully navigable 3D game.

 
DeaconOfTheDank said:
Maybe this case can set a precedent for challenging the Nemesis System patent. It's a damn shame that WB has it locked behind the Shadow of Mordor games.
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That'd be amazing!

Patenting gameplay ideas/functions is such a ridiculous thing. Iirc Nintendo submitted like 30 of these kind of patents for TotK alone.

Edit:
No one else better make a game where you shoot an arrow while in the air..
patents-for-tears-of-the-kingdom-v0-imp8cv9o76ja1.png


a0201372-f85b-42cc-8736-a4d580881500_text.gif
 
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bitbydeath said:
Square could pull this on them if they did.

images
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I've seen this picture several times but people are really missing the point of what PocketPair did. Are Pokémon designs inspired by DQ design? Obviously yes, based on this. But Palworld's designs have elements that are straight up traced or possibly stolen (models themselves) from Pokemon designs. They are legally not the same thing at all.
 
Man I would love for Nintendo to waste a bunch of money and lose this. Patent trolling and legal bullying has been going on for too long from Nintendo. They need to get handed a big loss for overstepping.
 
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