this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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[–] [email protected] 132 points 6 days ago (4 children)

How does that work exactly? You can't retroactively sue someone over a patent before it was granted... in fact, once you realize the mechanic was already out there, and patent shouldn't be granted at all.

[–] [email protected] 90 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They're just so used to pissing all over everything that they don't realize when they're pissing in the wind and getting it all over their reputation.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I know you mean it well, but... Nintendo was always like this. Like the jokes about the CEO handing the African kid 300 million dollar lawsuit because he drew their console on paper is very old.

Yet people still buy their shit.

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I assume that's why there's a 95% rejection rate, they're just fumbling to find any mechanics that haven't already been used in other games.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 6 days ago (1 children)

And even then, the US patent office often will grant unenforceable patents, that then explode in the patent holder's faces the first time they try to use them.

The granted one in this case is about "the process of aiming and capturing characters", which they either had to make so specific as to not apply to anybody else, or general enough that there are piles of prior art out there.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago

Except anything they try to patent was already done by the GTA V Pokémon mod several years before any 3D Pokémon game

[–] [email protected] 28 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

It would take time in the court for people to figure that out and they would use ill-granted patents like a hammer.

Indie: Release a new game with unique catching mechanic

Nintendo: "REEEEEE! We have valid patent, so give us all of your profit, assets plus penalty or we will sue you to make you die poor like that one Gary Bowser over there."

Indie: "WTF?"

Even if Indie developers try to fight in court, they'll spend multiple years, hundred of thousands of dollars in legal fees and on top of that, because Nintendo have a patent that was stupidly granted by patent office, they can argue on a ground that their lawsuit is not frivolous.

Valve almost died as a company, because of those sort of people before if you watched their documentary, they only won, because the mega-corporation emailed about destroying the evidence.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

In Japan, the patents they filed for were "extensions" of existing older patents. The new patents "updated" the old patents and could be used as if they filed when the original patent was. So they were able to file patents after Palworld came out, and then sue as if the patents existed before Palworld. Seems like bullshit to me, but I'm not a lawyer.

I don't know if a similar mechanic can be used in the US patent system or not.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Seems like bullshit to me, but I’m not a lawyer.

The Japanese patent system is so, so much worse than the US one. Where things like what you just described are possible. Honestly, Palworld is probably hosed over there. Palworld made a system years ago, Nintendo then patented it, and Nintendo is going to beat them over the head with their Japanese patent.

In the US, a solid defense to a patent claim is to show prior art. In this case, Palworld's dev can point to Palworld as the prior art if Nintendo sues them; Nintendo's patent existed after Palworld did. Palworld's dev can also point to a giant mountain of prior art of other games that allow one to throw an object to capture a monster.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago

that allow one to throw an object to capture a monster

Like throwing a net to catch a fish?

[–] [email protected] 108 points 6 days ago (12 children)

Fuck Nintendo. Vote with your wallets and don't buy a Switch 2, get a Steam Deck or other similar portable gaming handheld.

[–] [email protected] 76 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (12 children)

Switch 2?

More Like "Switch to Steamdeck" ( ☞˙ワ˙)☞

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's frustrating how often people need to be reminded of this. Nintendo has repeatedly shown incredible hostility to their greatest fans over the years, and they show no signs of stopping.

They've also done immeasurable harm to game preservation, to their own library and others. I cannot ever forgive them for this. Unless you play games in whatever specific way is blessed at the time, they will make every effort to sabotage it. Please do not enable this behavior.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

Well said, I agree 100%

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Palworld wouldn't have been half as popular without Nintendo's constant push to take it down.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

It's the literal reason I bought it and have never even played

[–] [email protected] 58 points 6 days ago (2 children)

They should force Gamefreak to make a better Pokemon game. That would teach Pal World a lesson.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 days ago

Nintendo: But that's haaaaaaard. Me money now.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Nintendo is quite literally patent trolling

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 6 days ago

Good god they're such fucking losers.

Are you trying to make everyone hate you, Nintendo? Give it up already.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 6 days ago

Palworld does what Nintendon't

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 days ago (1 children)

First half of my life it was completely by accident I didn't own anything nintendo, but I'm glad the second half of my life I've actively avoided it, so not a single cent has gone to those greedy motherfuckers.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

I owned all sorts of Nintendo products growing up. Around 2005, Nintendo went crazy against roms and hacking, and then when I stopped buying Nintendo products.

I bought some used stuff and... Bypassed security to expand my libraries. But usually it was after the game was like 10 years old.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 6 days ago

Fuck Nintendo.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 6 days ago (6 children)

I would love to learn why this isn't completely stupid, if anyone has a way of explaining. We'd be down entire genres of games if developers didn't copy each other's homework.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Nintendo is attempting to bully other game developers. They can't enforce this patent in the US, but they can wave the patent and a cease and desist letter menacingly at their competitors. Thing is, it's generating bad will against Nintendo and the first time a company calls Nintendo on their shit, Nintendo is gunna lose. The patent is either so specific it won't apply to another game or its broader and there is a mountain of prior art.

From my reading, it's the latter. The patent seems to try to monopolize the idea of throwing an object to catch a monster. Which has been done so, so many times before.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

From my reading, it’s the latter. The patent seems to try to monopolize the idea of throwing an object to catch a monster. Which has been done so, so many times before.

Including but not limited to RL millenia before videogames were even invented.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 days ago

Imagine trying to throw a lawsuit at a rodeo for video game patent infringement

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

It is completely stupid. There are mountains worth of prior art that easily negate any patent Nintendo would be granted by this point.

Nintendo is a Japanese company, and the one thing you can rely on Japanese companies doing in recent years is not understanding that Japanese law only applies in Japan. They seem to think that they can apply Japanese law to US citizens or companies that conduct business in the US, so whatever strategy they think they can use will be swatted aside by the US government automatically. We have seen this already when Nintendo tried to sue Galoob Toys and lost.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Suing for patent infringement is the nuclear option. It's a long and expensive legal process that can very much blow up in your face, so companies aren't rushing to do it unless they really want to.

It's not a great system.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago

It is completely stupid. There is a reason the stereotypes about Japanese businessmen are what they are.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 days ago (5 children)

I wonder if PocketPair (Palworld devs) could flip a giant middle finger to Japan's entire system by refunding all Japanese customers for the game and refusing to sell it in Japan anymore. Japan is the only country where Nintendo could get their way in a patent lawsuit, so fuck 'em

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

One of the many reasons I will never spend money on Nintendo again! Their hardware blows anyways

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 days ago

Fuck software patents.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago

Scumtendo strikes again

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago

What about the last one?

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