Nintendo Under Fire: Are Its Monster-Catching Patents About to Collapse?

The gaming world is going through a big change that could change how Nintendo Co., Ltd. does business in different countries. First, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) turned down a key Nintendo monster-capture tools patent application, saying that different games like ARK: Survival Evolved, Monster Hunter 4, and even Pokémon GO had already done the same thing.

At the same time, in the US, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) did something very unusual: it asked Director John A. Squires to personally review one of Nintendo's newly granted patents that had to do with calling characters to fight.

The JPO turned down application JP-2024031879 in October 2025. It was about mechanics like aiming and throwing items to catch or fight creatures, which are very common in the Pokémon series. The office said the idea "lacked an inventive step" because similar features already existed in games like ARK, Monster Hunter 4, Craftopia, and Pokémon GO.

That app is part of the same "family" of patents that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are suing Pocketpair, a Palworld studio, for in their ongoing case.

Even though the rejected application isn't one of the three patents Nintendo is currently enforcing in the Palworld case, the fact that it was refused still helps Pocketpair's case. The fact that the JPO inspector said the mechanic was "obvious to those skilled in the field" could change how the court sees Nintendo's claims.

Nintendo's US Patent No. 12,403,397, which was granted in September 2025 for a system that lets a player-controlled character call up a sub-character that can fight either by hand or automatically, is now being officially looked over. The USPTO pointed out two older patents, one from Konami in 2002 and one from Nintendo itself in 2020. Both of them seem to have been filed before the new patents and cover similar ideas. "Substantial new questions of patentability have arisen," Director Squires said.

This is a unique situation not only because of the invention, but also because of how the USPTO stepped in. Very rarely does a director order a re-examination before a third party challenges the case. People who work in the gaming business say that something like this hasn't happened in over ten years.

These events send a message: Nintendo's broad patent campaign is facing tough opposition on both sides of the Pacific, especially when it comes to features related to calling, riding, and capturing creatures. Even though neither the Palworld case nor all of Nintendo's patents have been settled yet, things may be changing.

In Japan, the JPO's decision could give Pocketpair a way to question the legality of the family of patents Nintendo is using. In the US, the re-examination process could either throw out the patent or force Nintendo to narrow its claims, which would make it less powerful in future license or court cases.

This could be a time for the business as a whole to refocus. Game-mechanic patents have been a problem for a long time. People who are against them say that they block ideas that lead to new innovations. Now that regulators are paying more attention, the balance between protecting new ideas and keeping competition free may tip.

The patent office or the courts have not yet come to a final decision. Nintendo is expected to answer the JPO within 60 days, and it will have to defend itself in the US re-examination process. The Palworld lawsuit is still going on in the Tokyo District Court, and its result is becoming less clear.

In the end, this is less about one company's legal tactics and more about how basic game rules are regulated by the law. The gaming ecosystem is keeping an eye on Nintendo's campaign. Will we see a future where summon a creature or capture and battle are open terrain instead of closed-off areas? The questions are still there for now.