5 mil yen is about $32k. In total they’re suing for about $100k.
I would imagine the 3rd patent at the very least should be invalidated - riding characters in video games predates Pokemon (MegaMan riding Rush comes to mind, as well as World of Warcraft [although I don’t know if the patent predates WOW mounts]). However the nature of patents is that once they’re granted they are very difficult to dismiss.
The other two are more tricky. Throwing balls at something us a uniquely Pokémon idea, I think, and the aiming one would come down to the technicalities of the patent itself, which is all Japanese to me.
Yeah the newer they are, the more frivolous they are - especially since you could argue the release of games using those patents amounts to public disclosure.
However, you’re still left in the situation where an established patent is very solid and difficult to challenge, even when it should never have been granted in the first place.
Yeah the newer they are, the more frivolous they are
Filing for patent on a mechanic that’s been in the public for 28 years already is disingenuous as fuck. Pokemon started in 1996. The throw a ball at it thing has been out there for nearly 30 years. If you have filed a patent for it in all that time… and just now choose to. That’s just dumb. If they were to have applied for the patent the day that pokemon was thing in the USA… The patent would have expired 8 years ago. It’s untenable to accept these patents from Nintendo.
5 mil yen is about $32k. In total they’re suing for about $100k.
I would imagine the 3rd patent at the very least should be invalidated - riding characters in video games predates Pokemon (MegaMan riding Rush comes to mind, as well as World of Warcraft [although I don’t know if the patent predates WOW mounts]). However the nature of patents is that once they’re granted they are very difficult to dismiss.
The other two are more tricky. Throwing balls at something us a uniquely Pokémon idea, I think, and the aiming one would come down to the technicalities of the patent itself, which is all Japanese to me.
Inb4 Palworld has Pal Polygon instead of Sphere
I’m pretty certain these patents are actually relatively new, keep that in mind too
Yeah the newer they are, the more frivolous they are - especially since you could argue the release of games using those patents amounts to public disclosure.
However, you’re still left in the situation where an established patent is very solid and difficult to challenge, even when it should never have been granted in the first place.
Filing for patent on a mechanic that’s been in the public for 28 years already is disingenuous as fuck. Pokemon started in 1996. The throw a ball at it thing has been out there for nearly 30 years. If you have filed a patent for it in all that time… and just now choose to. That’s just dumb. If they were to have applied for the patent the day that pokemon was thing in the USA… The patent would have expired 8 years ago. It’s untenable to accept these patents from Nintendo.
They also filled these in Japanese court where Nintendos success affects their economy greatly
Remember how apple won every fucking lawsuit against Samsung back in the day because they filled them in California?
The court is going to be pressured by outside forces to rule in Nintendo’s favor to avoid the stock market having issues there