“Whether this particular patent could unreasonably restrict the mechanics of other games is in part determined by any given court’s interpretation of the patent and the law.”
As with everything legal, you can pontificate about it until the Miltanks return to their Pokeballs, until a suit is filed and we get a definitive answer it’s all meaningless.
InvestigatorUnfair
It’s always mad funny to me how the same people calling others stupid or sheep fall for clickbait articles lmao
It does not take that long to actually understand what is being patented. And while patents are bs in all shapes, if you’re gonna get mad about them get mad for the right reasons
Totheendofsin
Unfortunately this article has come way too late and the “nintendo bad” crowd are going to reject any and all statements that contradict what they’ve already decided is true
phoisgood495
As soon as I saw the images in the patent doc I figured this patent was about the specific auto-battle implementation in S/V.
I’m also against patent trolling but I really wish people would be more exacting and actually do the due diligence before leaping to screaming from the rooftops.
Charming_Ease6405
Everyone that actually read the patents already knew this. Absolutely shameful what outlets and youtubers did with this story though. Nowadays, everyone is more interested in creating outrage than getting their facts correct
zeldafan042
Ah yes, the part of the news cycle where after the initial wave of clickbait rage articles race to be the first article posted, the articles that took their time to do research and not make kneejerk reactions are being posted.
And as many of us have been saying this whole time, there’s more nuance to the patent and it does not have nearly the impact that the people who rely on outrage to drive views want you to think.
KKingler
Something tells me this post won’t get nearly as many upvotes or views
FoxMeadow7
Having followed the situation here for the past few days, the amount of reactionaries declaring how gaming is ruined due to this patent and so on was mindboggling to say the least.
Perfect-Try-4918
Internet and not reading – show me a better combo.
Still, there are way worse and ludicrous patents like the Nemesis system.
Brugor
_Buuuuut I read a headline and got angry! Isn’t that anger justified then?_
Arvidex
Nintendo also has a history of not enforcing patents unless unfair play is involved. Thomas Game Docs has a great video about it.
CantaloupeCamper
#BUT WHAT ABOUT MY VIDEO GAME RELATED OUTRAGE?!?!?!?
/s
Wrong_Revolution_679
I never listen to the crowd that gets super emotional about patents out of nowhere, they always over exaggerate and lie about the things they talk about, a lot of the time without knowing what they are talking about in the first place
SenpaiSwanky
Elden Ring sub has been shitposting about summons with this as a basis for days now. We spread lies here on Reddit, no interest in the truth haha.
People got what they wanted out of it already.
scarletofmagic
So many people won’t read past the headlines. I have seen people come into every monster collecting game stream or post and talk about Nintendo lawyers. It’s so annoying. Please, the patent is quite specific, Honkai Nexus Anima, Monster Hunter Stories or Yuri-oh won’t be sued.
SkyMaro
A lie makes it halfway around the world before the truth has the chance to put its pants on.
Keaten88
I tried posting this in r/gaming, and was met with immediate harassment and mass downvotes lmfao
Mania_Chitsujo
If anyone even opened the patent and skimmed through it (don’t need to read all the legalese and shit just look at the main points) you’d see it had nothing so broad as “summoning characters and making them battle”. The patent has a lot of moving parts used together that it wants to protect.
Ranma_11788
I’m not getting a Verge sub.
ghostpicnic
This is true and there has been a lot of misinformation surrounding this topic. But still, to think Nintendo isn’t going to use this to abuse the copyright system is incredibly naive.
nomosolo
I’m more likely to blindly give Nintendo a pass on stuff because this literally always happens. Ragebait content creators and “journalists” completely misinterpret news from Japan for the views/clicks.
dronetactics
The haters don’t want facts.
BRLaw2016
Summary of the article:
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company were recently granted **US Patent No. 12,403,397**, filed in March 2023, which sparked concern because it mentions *summoning characters and making them battle*.
On closer look, the patent is **much narrower** than headlines suggested: it specifically covers the **auto-battling system from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet**, where a summoned Pokémon can either (1) trigger a regular battle, (2) automatically fight nearby wild Pokémon, or (3) simply walk around if no target is nearby.
The concern arises because Nintendo has a history of enforcing patents (e.g., the ongoing lawsuit against *Palworld* developers in Japan, and its infamous Eternal Darkness “sanity system” patent). However, this US patent may not be as threatening to other game developers as it sounds.
**Patent validity issues:**
* **Anticipation/obviousness**: Earlier games like *StarCraft* already allowed similar automated vs manual combat, which could invalidate the patent.
* **Subject matter eligibility**: The claims might be rejected as too “abstract,” since the mechanics resemble ordinary military hierarchies (e.g., generals directing soldiers).
Overall, while Nintendo could use the patent in disputes, its enforceability is questionable. Courts would have to decide whether it truly protects a unique invention, or whether it’s too abstract/obvious to be valid.
1Q92
“US Patent No. 12,403,397, by comparison, was filed in the US in March 2023, before Pocketpair had shown any gameplay footage from Palworld. (Palworld was released in early access in January 2024.)”
So it didn’t have any correlation to Palworld either. I still don’t think ideas for gameplay mechanics should be patented, but it’s crazy how outraged people get over this stuff.
bluedragjet
If you read the patent, you would already know this
prettybluefoxes
Confirmed because this post summoned me and I’m quite a character.
TheDarkClaw
Listening to jayz2cents video about it at the moment about kind of wished he would get an actual lawyer so we can make better hands and tails about it. Like how Steve from gamersnexus brings a lawyer to some of his videos. Like jay could just hit up legal eagle . He’s on YouTube.
PitchBlackSonic
anyone got a tldr for the article
GuyYouMetOnline
Anyone have a non-paywalled version?
ShiningStar5022
They patented the Let’s Go feature from SV.
LoganDoove
Anyone got a nice TLDR? The ads on this website are glitching out my phone
mazzicc
Honestly, media coverage of patents is so terrible these days, I just ignore it altogether unless it affects my industry, because any articles I read about it are probably wrong.
If it maybe affects me, I talk to my company’s lawyer to see if it actually affects me.
Worldly_Striker
I still don’t think Nintendo or anyone should be allowed to patent game mechanics.
No matter what they are or what company. Just hurts the consumer.
MysticDuskk
They more or less put a patent on Z-A’s combat, which Palworld kinda got close to, I guess. Which is stupid. Anybody else remember when WB setting gaming back by patenting the Nemesis System?
zxg123
And also didn’t help that the parent office confirms they did in fact get a patent approved with vague language involving smoking creatures to fight for you.
agufa
Because they can’t, not because they don’t want to
krdskrm9
I love Shin Megami Tensei, but anyone who thinks the patent in issue is applicable to SMT either can’t read or is just dumb.
SBY-ScioN
Nice Graphics!
teledef
Patenting game mechanics in any circumstance is still bad. Also, this is still vague as hell, and isn’t anywhere near being “very specific” or “niche” like people are saying it is. They literally patented switching between auto-battling and manual turned based battling with a summoned creature while it’s still out on the field. That shit is not hyper-specific at all
Amazing-War3760
I also want to point out the “HA HA! BUT NINTENDO SUED GAME GENIE!!!!” isn’t true… Actually AT ALL.
No, Nintendo has patented an extremely broad gaming mechanic that is VERY common across MULTIPLE games and has been in use for decades. The patent off failed.
Vilgoui
It’d probably be better to share an article that isn’t behind a paywall. Just sayin
44 Comments
This is something that people should know. Please, actually read the fine print before you jump to conclusions based on clickbait titles.
Paywalled
Edit: im being downvoted. I’m getting this every time I click on the article.
https://preview.redd.it/vok9o1vp1rpf1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b32b83ed04f106b3343adc1ad248a402c541471a
“Whether this particular patent could unreasonably restrict the mechanics of other games is in part determined by any given court’s interpretation of the patent and the law.”
As with everything legal, you can pontificate about it until the Miltanks return to their Pokeballs, until a suit is filed and we get a definitive answer it’s all meaningless.
It’s always mad funny to me how the same people calling others stupid or sheep fall for clickbait articles lmao
It does not take that long to actually understand what is being patented. And while patents are bs in all shapes, if you’re gonna get mad about them get mad for the right reasons
Unfortunately this article has come way too late and the “nintendo bad” crowd are going to reject any and all statements that contradict what they’ve already decided is true
As soon as I saw the images in the patent doc I figured this patent was about the specific auto-battle implementation in S/V.
I’m also against patent trolling but I really wish people would be more exacting and actually do the due diligence before leaping to screaming from the rooftops.
Everyone that actually read the patents already knew this. Absolutely shameful what outlets and youtubers did with this story though. Nowadays, everyone is more interested in creating outrage than getting their facts correct
Ah yes, the part of the news cycle where after the initial wave of clickbait rage articles race to be the first article posted, the articles that took their time to do research and not make kneejerk reactions are being posted.
And as many of us have been saying this whole time, there’s more nuance to the patent and it does not have nearly the impact that the people who rely on outrage to drive views want you to think.
Something tells me this post won’t get nearly as many upvotes or views
Having followed the situation here for the past few days, the amount of reactionaries declaring how gaming is ruined due to this patent and so on was mindboggling to say the least.
Internet and not reading – show me a better combo.
Still, there are way worse and ludicrous patents like the Nemesis system.
_Buuuuut I read a headline and got angry! Isn’t that anger justified then?_
Nintendo also has a history of not enforcing patents unless unfair play is involved. Thomas Game Docs has a great video about it.
#BUT WHAT ABOUT MY VIDEO GAME RELATED OUTRAGE?!?!?!?
/s
I never listen to the crowd that gets super emotional about patents out of nowhere, they always over exaggerate and lie about the things they talk about, a lot of the time without knowing what they are talking about in the first place
Elden Ring sub has been shitposting about summons with this as a basis for days now. We spread lies here on Reddit, no interest in the truth haha.
People got what they wanted out of it already.
So many people won’t read past the headlines. I have seen people come into every monster collecting game stream or post and talk about Nintendo lawyers. It’s so annoying. Please, the patent is quite specific, Honkai Nexus Anima, Monster Hunter Stories or Yuri-oh won’t be sued.
A lie makes it halfway around the world before the truth has the chance to put its pants on.
I tried posting this in r/gaming, and was met with immediate harassment and mass downvotes lmfao
If anyone even opened the patent and skimmed through it (don’t need to read all the legalese and shit just look at the main points) you’d see it had nothing so broad as “summoning characters and making them battle”. The patent has a lot of moving parts used together that it wants to protect.
I’m not getting a Verge sub.
This is true and there has been a lot of misinformation surrounding this topic. But still, to think Nintendo isn’t going to use this to abuse the copyright system is incredibly naive.
I’m more likely to blindly give Nintendo a pass on stuff because this literally always happens. Ragebait content creators and “journalists” completely misinterpret news from Japan for the views/clicks.
The haters don’t want facts.
Summary of the article:
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company were recently granted **US Patent No. 12,403,397**, filed in March 2023, which sparked concern because it mentions *summoning characters and making them battle*.
On closer look, the patent is **much narrower** than headlines suggested: it specifically covers the **auto-battling system from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet**, where a summoned Pokémon can either (1) trigger a regular battle, (2) automatically fight nearby wild Pokémon, or (3) simply walk around if no target is nearby.
The concern arises because Nintendo has a history of enforcing patents (e.g., the ongoing lawsuit against *Palworld* developers in Japan, and its infamous Eternal Darkness “sanity system” patent). However, this US patent may not be as threatening to other game developers as it sounds.
**Patent validity issues:**
* **Anticipation/obviousness**: Earlier games like *StarCraft* already allowed similar automated vs manual combat, which could invalidate the patent.
* **Subject matter eligibility**: The claims might be rejected as too “abstract,” since the mechanics resemble ordinary military hierarchies (e.g., generals directing soldiers).
Overall, while Nintendo could use the patent in disputes, its enforceability is questionable. Courts would have to decide whether it truly protects a unique invention, or whether it’s too abstract/obvious to be valid.
“US Patent No. 12,403,397, by comparison, was filed in the US in March 2023, before Pocketpair had shown any gameplay footage from Palworld. (Palworld was released in early access in January 2024.)”
So it didn’t have any correlation to Palworld either. I still don’t think ideas for gameplay mechanics should be patented, but it’s crazy how outraged people get over this stuff.
If you read the patent, you would already know this
Confirmed because this post summoned me and I’m quite a character.
Listening to jayz2cents video about it at the moment about kind of wished he would get an actual lawyer so we can make better hands and tails about it. Like how Steve from gamersnexus brings a lawyer to some of his videos. Like jay could just hit up legal eagle . He’s on YouTube.
anyone got a tldr for the article
Anyone have a non-paywalled version?
They patented the Let’s Go feature from SV.
Anyone got a nice TLDR? The ads on this website are glitching out my phone
Honestly, media coverage of patents is so terrible these days, I just ignore it altogether unless it affects my industry, because any articles I read about it are probably wrong.
If it maybe affects me, I talk to my company’s lawyer to see if it actually affects me.
I still don’t think Nintendo or anyone should be allowed to patent game mechanics.
No matter what they are or what company. Just hurts the consumer.
They more or less put a patent on Z-A’s combat, which Palworld kinda got close to, I guess. Which is stupid. Anybody else remember when WB setting gaming back by patenting the Nemesis System?
And also didn’t help that the parent office confirms they did in fact get a patent approved with vague language involving smoking creatures to fight for you.
Because they can’t, not because they don’t want to
I love Shin Megami Tensei, but anyone who thinks the patent in issue is applicable to SMT either can’t read or is just dumb.
Nice Graphics!
Patenting game mechanics in any circumstance is still bad. Also, this is still vague as hell, and isn’t anywhere near being “very specific” or “niche” like people are saying it is. They literally patented switching between auto-battling and manual turned based battling with a summoned creature while it’s still out on the field. That shit is not hyper-specific at all
I also want to point out the “HA HA! BUT NINTENDO SUED GAME GENIE!!!!” isn’t true… Actually AT ALL.
Galoob sued NINTENDO, and Nintendo Countersued.
[Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc. – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Galoob_Toys,_Inc._v._Nintendo_of_America,_Inc.)
No, Nintendo has patented an extremely broad gaming mechanic that is VERY common across MULTIPLE games and has been in use for decades. The patent off failed.
It’d probably be better to share an article that isn’t behind a paywall. Just sayin