Legal Action Against Palworld

The lawsuit filed by Nintendo, Pokémon seeks an injunction and compensation for damages caused by Palworld

Nintendo and the Pokemon Company have filed a lawsuit against the producer of hit survival adventure game “Palworld”. The lawsuit has been filed for patent infringement.

The lawsuit aims to get an injunction and financial restitution for damages arguing that the game produced and released by Tokyo-based Pocketpair Inc, violates several patent rights. The lawsuit was filed in the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday.

The Pokemon Company Seeks Compensation from Palworld

The lawsuit seeks an injunction and compensation for damages because the game, produced and released by Tokyo-based Pocketpair Inc., infringes multiple patent rights.

In January, the Pokemon Company announced it would investigate and address any violations of intellectual property rights. Palworld’s  "Pokemon with guns", quickly rose to prominence with over 25 million users just a month after its launch. In this game, gamers can wield firearms to capture and nurture adorable animals called "pals".

In July, Pocketpair revealed that it had initiated a partnership with Sony Music Entertainment and Aniplex Inc to support the worldwide distribution of Palworld. Pocketpair came into existence in April 2015 and is presently under the guidance of its Chief Executive, Takuro Mizobe.

Moreover, in just one week after its release, Palworld had already sold over eight million copies. Its superficial similarity to Pokemon has now become the main point of disagreement between the two groups.