The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has launched a rare reexamination of a controversial Nintendo patent that covers a widely used gameplay feature — one where a player-controlled character summons another sub-character to assist in battle within one of two modes.
The move comes directly from USPTO director John A. Squires, who reportedly has concerns about the validity of U.S. Patent No. 12,403,397. While the review doesn’t revoke the patent outright, it signals that the office may ultimately overturn Nintendo’s claim.
Just weeks ago, Nintendo faced a rejection on a separate patent application aimed at protecting the act of capturing creatures or characters in a video game — a mechanic central to the Pokémon franchise. Despite that setback, the company managed to secure this new patent last month, which now faces renewed scrutiny.
According to Games Fray, the Ex Parte Reexamination appears linked to two earlier filings that could count as prior art: one submitted by Konami in 2002 and another by Nintendo itself in 2019. Either could potentially invalidate the newer claim.
Nintendo now has two months to respond to the USPTO order. Other interested parties also have the opportunity to submit arguments challenging the patent. Such direct intervention from the USPTO’s head is considered extremely uncommon.
The timing of the review could have major implications for Nintendo’s ongoing legal fight with Palworld developer Pocketpair. The company filed suit in September 2024, accusing Pocketpair of infringing “multiple patent rights” and seeking “an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.”
More:Nintendo Rejects Claims of Blocking genAI
Read
Source Editing
Visual Editing
Related news
