Nintendo just hit a snag in its ongoing legal fight to protect the Pokémon formula. The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has officially denied one of the company’s key patent applications — one that tried to claim the core “monster-catching” mechanic made famous by Pokémon games.
The application, filed in early 2024, basically described a system where players throw a capture item (like a Poké Ball) at a creature, the game checks if the catch succeeds, and if it does, that creature becomes the player’s. Sound familiar? Yeah — it’s Pokémon in a nutshell. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company were hoping to secure the patent as part of a wider legal push against Palworld developer Pocketpair, whom they sued back in September for alleged infringement.
But the JPO wasn’t convinced. In a non-final decision, the office rejected the application, saying the idea lacked an “inventive step.” In other words, it wasn’t new enough. The examiner said similar capture mechanics had already existed in other games, citing titles like ARK: Survival Evolved, Craftopia, Monster Hunter 4, and even Pokémon GO as prior examples. The official reasoning put it bluntly: “The inventions claimed were invented in Japan or elsewhere before the filing of the application.”
That means Nintendo’s patent didn’t clear the novelty bar — and that’s a big deal. While this specific rejection doesn’t end the case against “Palworld”, it definitely weakens Nintendo’s legal footing. Courts don’t have to follow the JPO’s decision, but they tend to take it seriously, especially when it comes to technical matters like patentability.
Nintendo still has options. The company can tweak the patent claims, appeal the decision, or just let this one go and focus on its other filings. It’s worth noting this is a “non-final” rejection, meaning the door’s not completely closed yet. Still, it’s a setback — and a public one at that.
For the gaming world, this case is a reminder of how tricky it is to patent game mechanics. The JPO’s stance echoes what many developers have argued for years: gameplay ideas evolve over time, and trying to lock down a core mechanic like “throw item, catch monster” can be seen as overreach. It also suggests that Pocketpair — or someone else — may have submitted examples of similar mechanics to challenge Nintendo’s claim.
In short, Nintendo wanted to patent catching Pokémon, but Japan’s patent office said, “Nice try, but people have been throwing balls at monsters for years.” The lawsuit continues, but this rejection makes the road ahead a little bumpier for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.
GameSprytes 
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