The US Patent and Trademark Office has issued a non-final rejection of Nintendo's patent covering in-game character summoning mechanics, citing prior art references. Nintendo has two months to respond or appeal. The patent, originally submitted in March 2023 and approved in September 2025, is connected to Nintendo's ongoing lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair for alleged patent infringement. This follows a similar rejection by the Japan Patent Office of Nintendo's capture-and-release mechanic patent in October 2025. Pocketpair has already made gameplay changes to Palworld in response to the litigation.
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