The Palworld Lawsuit Is Worse Than You Think
Summary
TLDRNintendo has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the developer of 'Power World,' a game similar to 'Pokemon.' The lawsuit seeks an injunction and compensation for damages, alleging that 'Power World' infringes on multiple patents related to 'Pokemon' mechanics. The video discusses the negative impact of game patents on creativity and innovation, citing examples such as Warner Brothers' Nemesis system patent from 'Shadow of Mordor.' The host expresses frustration with the potential chilling effect on indie developers and the gaming industry as a whole.
Takeaways
- ⚖️ Nintendo has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocket Pair, the developer of the game 'Power World', in Tokyo district court.
- 💡 The lawsuit is specifically for patent infringement, not copyright infringement, indicating that the issue is about mechanics or systems, not character designs.
- 🚫 Nintendo is known to protect its intellectual property aggressively, and this lawsuit is part of that stance.
- 🤔 The script suggests that patenting game mechanics can stifle creativity and innovation within the gaming industry.
- 🎮 Examples are given of how certain game mechanics, like Warner Brothers' Nemesis system from 'Shadow of Mordor', have been patented, limiting their use by other developers.
- 📉 The potential negative impact of such patents is that they can prevent the evolution and improvement of game genres.
- 📅 The Nemesis system patent, for instance, expires in 2035, meaning other games cannot legally implement a similar system until then.
- 💼 Pocket Pair, as a small indie game company, may face significant financial and developmental challenges due to the lawsuit.
- 📝 Nintendo has not specified which patents they believe have been infringed upon, leaving Pocket Pair and the public uncertain about the specifics.
- 🕹️ The lawsuit could discourage indie developers from creating games in similar genres for fear of legal repercussions.
- 📉 The script concludes with a strong personal opinion that patents on basic game mechanics are detrimental to the gaming industry.
Q & A
What is the main reason for Nintendo's lawsuit against Pocket Pair?
-Nintendo is suing Pocket Pair for patent infringement, not copyright infringement. They claim that the game 'Power World' developed by Pocket Pair infringes on multiple patent rights that Nintendo has related to Pokemon games.
What are some examples of game mechanics that can be patented?
-Game mechanics such as the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor, loading screen mini-games, dialogue wheels, vehicle navigation systems, object collection mechanics like in Katamari, and alternate space gameplay are examples of patented game mechanics.
Why is the patent system frustrating for game developers?
-The patent system can be frustrating for game developers because it stifles creativity and innovation. Patents on game mechanics can prevent other developers from using similar systems for a set number of years, which can limit the evolution of game genres and overall game development.
What is the Nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor and why is it significant?
-The Nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor is a feature where unique named enemies remember past encounters with the player, adapting their behavior and status based on the outcomes of previous fights. It adds depth and personality to the game. It's significant because it's a patented feature that, due to the patent, has not been widely adopted in other games, limiting its potential impact on the gaming industry.
What is Pocket Pair's response to the lawsuit filed by Nintendo?
-Pocket Pair acknowledged the lawsuit and stated they will begin appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims. They are unaware of the specific patents they are accused of infringing upon and will continue to pursue their goal of creating fun games.
What are some of the potential outcomes for Pocket Pair if they lose the lawsuit?
-If Pocket Pair loses the lawsuit, they may be required to make adjustments to the systems or mechanics found to infringe upon Nintendo's patents and could also have to pay a fee or fine to Nintendo. This could cost them a significant amount of money and potentially hinder their game development.
How does the lawsuit affect the indie game development community?
-The lawsuit can have a chilling effect on indie game developers, discouraging them from creating games in similar genres or with similar mechanics for fear of legal repercussions. This can stifle creativity and innovation within the indie game development community.
What is the patent that Nintendo has related to encouraging healthy sleeping habits?
-Nintendo has a patent for a system that encourages healthy sleeping habits by generating a breeding event in a virtual life form game when the user wakes up in the morning, which is designed to motivate the user to wake up and engage with the game.
What are some of the other patents Nintendo holds related to Pokemon games?
-Nintendo holds several Pokemon-related patents, including ones for throwing a ball to capture weakened creatures, summoning and riding creatures, actively swapping mounts while riding, storing creatures inside a ball or terminal system, and various other mechanics.
Why is the patent system considered bad for gamers?
-The patent system can be considered bad for gamers because it can prevent the development of games that improve upon existing mechanics, leading to less innovation and potentially fewer enjoyable gaming experiences. It can also lead to fewer games in certain genres due to the risk of patent infringement lawsuits.
What are some examples of other companies that have patented game mechanics?
-Other companies that have patented game mechanics include Warner Bros with the Nemesis system, Bandai Namco with loading screen mini-games, BioWare with the dialogue wheel, Sega with the arrow over vehicle navigation system, and Blubber Team with playing in two alternate versions of the same space simultaneously.
Outlines
📰 Nintendo's Patent Infringement Lawsuit
Nintendo has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocket Pair, the developer of Power World, in Japan. The lawsuit was announced by Pocket Pair and seeks an injunction and compensation for damages, alleging that Power World infringes on multiple Nintendo patents. The video script clarifies that the lawsuit is about patent infringement, not copyright infringement. This means that the lawsuit is not about similarities in character design but rather about game mechanics or features that Nintendo claims ownership of through patents.
🚫 The Impact of Patents on Game Development
The script discusses the broader implications of patenting game mechanics and how it can stifle creativity and innovation in the gaming industry. It uses the example of Warner Brothers' patent on the Nemesis system from the Shadow of Mordor games, which has prevented other developers from using a similar system until the patent expires in 2035. The frustration lies in the fact that such patents can prevent other games from implementing innovative mechanics, leading to less variety and potential improvement in gaming experiences.
🤔 The Mystery of Nintendo's Patent Claims
The script continues to discuss the specifics of Nintendo's patents, which cover a range of mechanics in the Pokémon games, such as capturing creatures with a ball and promoting healthy sleeping habits through gameplay. However, it is unclear which exact patents are being infringed upon by Power World, as neither Nintendo nor Pocket Pair have specified. Pocket Pair, a small indie game company, has expressed confusion and concern over the lawsuit, stating they are unaware of the specific patents in question and are committed to creating fun games for their fans.
📉 The Potential Fallout of the Lawsuit
The final paragraph delves into the potential consequences of the lawsuit for Pocket Pair and the gaming industry as a whole. If the lawsuit proceeds and Pocket Pair is found to be infringing on Nintendo's patents, they may have to alter their game's mechanics, pay fines, or even face the possibility of shutting down if the financial burden becomes too great. The script emphasizes the negative impact of such lawsuits on indie developers, who may be deterred from creating games in similar genres for fear of legal action, ultimately limiting creativity and innovation in the gaming industry.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Patent Infringement
💡Intellectual Property
💡Pokémon
💡Pocket Pair
💡Game Mechanics
💡Patents
💡Nemesis System
💡Loading Screen Mini-Games
💡Indie Game Developers
💡Legal Proceedings
💡Stifling Creativity
Highlights
Nintendo files patent infringement lawsuit against Pocket Pair in Japan.
Lawsuit seeks injunction and compensation for damages.
Nintendo is suing for patent infringement, not copyright infringement.
Patent infringement suggests similarities in game mechanics, not character models.
Patents can cover game mechanics and systems, stifling creativity in the industry.
Warner Brothers patented the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor.
Patents prevent other games from using innovative mechanics for 20 years.
Bandai Namco patented mini-games during loading screens.
BioWare patented the dialogue wheel, Sega patented navigation systems.
Nintendo has numerous Pokemon-related patents, including mechanics for capturing creatures.
Pocket Pair is unaware of the specific patents infringed upon.
Pocket Pair is a small indie game company based in Tokyo.
The lawsuit could force changes to Power World's mechanics and cost Pocket Pair significantly.
The lawsuit may discourage indie developers from creating similar games.
The potential outcome of the lawsuit could impact game development and innovation.
The frustration with patents over basic game mechanics is expressed.
The video concludes with a call for less restrictive patent practices in gaming.
Transcripts
hey uh fair warning not sure I'm going
to be able to keep it together for this
one yeah okay so here's the story
Nintendo just filed a patent
infringement lawsuit in Japan against po
World developer pocket pair they
released a public statement announcing
this suit on Wednesday which said
Nintendo together with the Pokemon
company filed a patent infringement
lawsuit in the Tokyo district court
against pocket pair on September 18th
2024 this lawsuit seeks an injunction
against infringement and compensation
for damages on the grounds that pow
world a game developed and released by
the defendant infringes multiple patent
rights Nintendo will continue to take
necessary actions against any
infringements of its intellectual
property rights including the Nintendo
brand itself to protect the intellectual
properties it has worked hard for it
establish over the years so the first
thing to make clear here is that
Nintendo is suing specifically for
patent infringement and not copyright
infringement what that means is that
they aren't suing powor because let's
say the power world creatures look
awfully similar to poke creatures you
might remember when pal world first got
popular this was a big point of
discussion with many people even
theorizing that some Pals were directly
ripping Pokemon models and then being
slightly altered for their game now even
if we think that's true that isn't what
this lawsuit is about and trust me if
Nintendo could sue for that they would
absolutely if they had even the tiniest
shred of evidence the pocket pair stole
and ripped off Pokemon character models
they would sue them into Oblivion and
you know what that would be reasonable
you can't steal code or directly rip
someone's assets for your own IP I mean
you can do that but you can't do it
without expecting consequences but again
that's not what's happening here looking
fairly similar isn't enough which is
exactly why Nintendo hasn't sued for
copyright infringement no they are suing
for infringements on patents related to
Pokemon or in other words they're suing
because they believe there are mechanics
systems or features from Pokemon games
that Nintendo has patented and claim
ownership of that are similar to the
ones being used in power worlds now at
this point you might be asking yourself
can you patent game mechanics and
systems yes yes you can it's about as
stupid as it sounds it is one of the
most frustrating things to me in this
industry because you will get these
games with really cool ideas or features
hats off to the people who make them but
then no one else can use them for 20
years all thanks to patents it stifles
creativity it stifles the evolution of
genres and legitimately holds back game
development it just makes gaming as a
whole worse we get worse games because
of these Pats or we don't get games that
are as good as they could be without
question we have seen less Innovation
and growth in games in in this hobby all
due to patents here's a few examples
some well-known things off the top of my
mind not really I've written them down
but okay so the first one that
particularly pisses me off is Warner
Brothers patent for the Nemesis system
from Shadow of Mordor if you don't know
in that game you would regularly come in
conflict with these unique named enemies
over and over again so you would fight
someone with the name I don't know
gorthor the destroyer and then whatever
the outcome of the fight whether you won
whether you lost whether you ran away
eventually later on in the game you
could bump into them again and in that
next encounter gorthor would remember
what happened and comment on what
occurred saying something like hey
you're going to run away from me again
and then on top of that though they
would evolve getting stronger or weaker
climbing up in the ranks or being
demoted all based on what occurred in
your previous fights with them and this
would keep happening over and over and
over again getting more layers deeper
interaction and history between the
characters and then these Nemesis
creatures fighting other characters and
then getting stuff based on that it was
just a super cool system a lot of fun to
engage with and it added a whole heck of
a lot of drama and personality to what
would otherwise just be fighting
forgettable mini bosses or Elites in
many other games this Nemesis system was
so awesome myself found a lot of people
really really liked it however it hasn't
been used in any other game franchise
since not because it wasn't good but
because Warner Brothers had patented it
so unless they happen to make another
game that uses the Nemesis system which
they have not beyond the shadow of war
and Shadow of Mordor games we are not
going to see any other game that has it
until their patent runs Runs Out in 2035
yes we've got another 11 years of
waiting Actually I don't even know if a
game can start development using that
system until after the patent runs out
so in which case we might be waiting
until 2040 before we see another game
that has a nemesis likee system thanks a
lot Warner Brothers really appreciate it
and what is so frustrating about this
like I said is that it really stifles
growth and innovation in gaming because
yes the Nemesis system was amazing like
hats off to the Shadow of Mordor
developer monolith they made a
phenomenal system that really elevated
the open World experience it just made
it so much more interesting coming
across these difficult encounters these
Nemesis and having these layers in depth
and history and backstory just based on
what you did with them in the game it
was so cool but now it's been 10 years
since the initial release of Shadow of
Mordor and in an alternate timeline we
could have had many other games using
even better more evolved and improved
versions of that system in fact I'll
I'll just say it plainly many open World
Games would have been better without
question if they could have implemented
some variation of the Nemesis system but
they didn't because in this timeline in
reality thanks to Warner's patent it
hasn't and it will not happen for at
least another 11 years now I will add a
note here uh with patents like this we
could technically see other games use
these things but in actuality it never
happens because if another game
developer wanted to have something like
that in their game they would have to
pay Warner Bros a licensing fee and that
fee would likely cost a ton of money so
so as a result they just don't bother
and that's the thing the result is we
don't get to play any more games with
the Nemesis system until after 2035 or
if Warner Bros eventually gets around to
making more games with it I think they
have a Wonder Woman game that's
supposedly going to be implementing it I
believe if if I'm recalling correctly
we've only had two in the past decade
and we could have had a whole lot more
and if you haven't played the game you
might not fully understand but this is a
I think a perfect example of a patent
stifling the industry open World Games
having the incl of Nemesis systems would
add a lot more to so many games that are
out there right now and that one's
really personal to me for that reason
because I played Shadow of Mordor and
was blown away by the system when I
first encountered it and at the time I
thought wow this is a great mechanic
open world games are going to be so much
better and evolving and improving on
this in the future but nope that's not
what happened uh there's plenty of other
patents that I feel have held back
gaming as well another good example is
the Bandai Namco patent on loading
screen Min games so for a lot of gear
loading screens were a pretty big issue
something we had to deal with especially
back in the 9s you would often have
these games with loading screens that
took a full minute or even multiple
minutes of waiting before you could get
back to playing for the most part this
just meant staring at a progress bar
maybe getting some concept darts some
tips on the screen usually it meant
going up to get a drink or go to the
bathroom but then in 1995 Bandai Namco
they had this great idea what if they
offered mini games that you could play
while you waited for the main game to
load and that was pretty cool they did
this with their game Ridge Racer as well
as Tekken 5 those are two most notable
ones un unfortunately though they yes
also patented this idea of what they
called auxiliary games while waiting for
the main game and so we never saw it
again this patent did happen to expire
in 2015 but by that point most games no
longer had multi-e loading screens so
there wasn't much use case for it any
longer but there was an entire 20year
period where it would have been awesome
to have mini games in our loading
screens for many different games Beyond
Bandai Namco owned ones but we didn't
thanks to Bandai namco's patent here's a
few other quickly BioWare had a patent
of the dialogue wheel with the cinal
directions of a wheel representing
certain sentiments or regular responses
sega's patent of the arrow over vehicle
navigation system from Crazy Taxi which
Sega then used to sue Fox over as they
had a similar mechanic in The Simpsons
driving game Katamari has a patent for
its whole stick which is rolling an
object around that picks up other
objects in the environment growing ever
bigger in the process if you wondered
why we never saw more games like it it's
because of the patent blubber team had a
patent for playing in two alternate
versions of the same space
simultaneously on a split screen which
is a mechanic they used in the game the
medium and then Nintendo also even had
the sanity system patent all the way
back for Eternal Darkness although that
one was evidently specific enough that
many other games have released with
similar systems but not exactly the same
but back to Nintendo suing pocket pair
overpowered let's dive into that a
little further so right now we don't
actually know exactly and apparently
pocket pair they don't know either
exactly which patents Nintendo are suing
for they have said that there are
multiple patents being infringed upon
but haven't clarified exactly what ones
now Nintendo has quite a few Pokemon
related patents listed broadly speaking
these things cover the following
throwing a ball to capture weakened
creatures and then throwing that ball
again after capture to release them
under your control summoning and riding
a creature you've captured via the
aformentioned ball system actively
swapping mounts while riding them
storing captured creatures inside of a
ball and or a terminal like system and
how about this one encouraging healthy
sleeping habits by tending to capture
creatures in their game I am not joking
they have a patent for encouraging
healthy sleeping habits now those are
the dumb down simplified explanations of
these patents and fact is that every
single one of these has very specific
language with fine details on exactly
how those systems are implemented with
minua like exactly how is a ball thrown
that captures a creature how many shakes
does the ball do in an attempt to
capture said creature the specific
method of riding and swapping your C
captured creatures and what specific
ways does the game promote healthy
sleeping habits so for example in the
patent that they have for quote the
gamification of Health Awareness based
on wakeup time it reads like this an
object is to provide a user with
motivation to enjoy waking up in the
morning and guide the user to sufficient
Awakening by generating a breeding event
in a breeding game of a virtual life
form when the user wakes up in the
morning and it goes on from there but
yes broadly speaking that list of things
are some of the stuff that Nintendo has
Pokemon patents for they're just a few
examples they have many many more
patents pertinent specifically to
Pokemon now as of now we just don't know
which combinations of these patents
Nintendo is claiming have been infringed
and as I mentioned pal World developer
pocket pair they don't know either
according to them they've not yet been
told they actually released an official
statement via Twitter in regards to the
suit and it says regarding the lawsuit
yesterday a lawsuit was filed against
our company for patent infringement we
have received notice of this lawsuit and
will begin the appropriate legal
proceedings and investigations into the
claims of patent infringement at this
moment we are unaware of the specific
patents we are accused of infringing
upon and we have not yet been notified
of such details pocket pair is a small
indie game company based in Tokyo our
goal as a company has always been to
create fun games we will continue to
pursue this goal because we know that
our games bring joy to millions of
Gamers around the world power world was
a surprise success this year both for
gamers and for us we were blown away by
the amazing response to the game and
have been working hard to make it even
better for our fans we will continue
improving po world and strive to create
a game that our fans can be proud of it
is truly unfortunate that we will be
forced to allocate significant time and
matters unrelated to game development
due to this lawsuit however we will do
our utmost for our fans and to ensure
that indie game developers are not
hindered or discouraged from pursuing
their creative ideas we apologize to our
fans as always thank you it goes on and
that last bit is I think really the rub
um it's just it's so so frustrating on
so many levels in terms of this lawsuit
and the potential outcome right well if
they don't settle out of court odds are
pocket pair will be required to make
adjustments to whatever systems or
mechanics are found to infringe upon
Nintendo's patents and then after that
they will probably also have to pay some
sort of fee or fine to Nintendo either
way Nintendo is going to cost pocket
pair a good chunk of money whether
that's just the cost of having to go
through a lawsuit even if they are found
not guilty of infringement or if they
are found guilty of infringement having
to then pay Nintendo directly the game
is not going to shut down well I guess
it could if Nintendo bleeds pocket pair
dry enough of money that they go out of
business in which case the game could
probably shut down and all of this in
the name of some flipping patents on
game mechanics honestly this entire
situation it's crap unless Nintendo has
like some proof that pocket pair stole
and copy pasted source code from Pokemon
games to use in po world if that's the
case I totally understand but the idea
that they're suing the devs because the
games have similar mechanics like
capturing monsters in a ball or
incentivizing healthy sleeping habits
like it's all garbage man patents over
basic game mechanics and systems are
dumb and they shouldn't be a thing as
far as I'm concerned I am no legal
expert I this is completely out of my
depth but just the basis of it is so
frustrating to me and they also want to
make it clear I am in full support of
companies protecting their brand and
protecting their IP if someone is
straight ripping Pokemon code changing
the colors and slapping a new name on
the game that's one thing but putting
patents on ideas for systems and
features it's just bad it sucks now it's
always sucked especially when it comes
to this point where we are seeing
lawsuits it is bad bad for game
developers and it's bad for us the
gamers this stifles creativity it
prevents more games from not just having
similar systems but then improving on
them adding to them and making better
games as a result and Nintendo coming
out in suing pocket pair this is the
kind of show of force that will likely
prevent other developers from trying to
make games that are similar in that
monster capture genre Indie devs they
don't want to risk getting sued by
Nintendo like are you kidding me so the
end result is many won't bother they
they won't try to make a game that
innovates and expands upon Pokémon's
shortcomings they'll just do something
else entirely now I do realize as well
there's still a lot we don't know and
there's definitely without question a
lot of nuance here other monster capture
games do in fact exist that Nintendo
hasn't sued for patent infringement and
we don't know yet exactly what Nintendo
is suing for they haven't specified we
see their patents we know they're suing
because they think multiple patents have
been infringed they just haven't said
what ones so the patents that have been
infringed upon how they were infringed
EX exactly how closely are pow worlds
mechanics similar to that of Pokémons
all of that will come out during the
process of this lawsuit assuming it all
goes public uh even still though like
the Nintendo story specifics aside
generally speaking I dislike this
practice and what it does to gaming the
Warner Bros patent on the Nemesis system
is the one that tilts me in particular I
think a lot of my Vigor in this video is
like suppressed anger over that the fact
that more games don't have every open
world game should have a nemesis system
and they would all be better because of
it it's a blanket statement but you
honestly man it just tilts me so much it
was so damn cool and they've made pretty
much zero use of it over this past
decade all because they have a patent
they're not making other games and no
one else can do it either so I guess
we'll just get to experience games with
Nemesis systems sometime after 2035 if
I'm still alive looking forward to it I
just hate it so much dude I hate I hate
this so much honestly it it it makes
gaming worse no thank you all right
that's all for today thank you for
watching see you next time
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