this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2024
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[–] celsiustimeline@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Are the SMT games not on Nintendo's radar? Like, does Id get to sue anyone who makes a FPS?

[–] RogueAozame@programming.dev 9 points 6 hours ago

Its hard to sue shin megami tensei when megami tensei came out first. Also Nintendo is apparently sueing for patent infringment and im curious which patent they are suing for cause most of the og patents should be expired by now. The best guess I've seen is maybe patent related to either legends game.

[–] GaMEChld@lemmy.world 16 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

Congrats Nintendo, I'm done with you. SNES, Gameboy, N64, GameCube, Wii, Switch, and now done for good. Cantankerous old dinosaur of a company that has lost touch with the world.

[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 11 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Yeah. I love their games and liked their hardware, but I just can't morally justify sending money into Nintendo anymore.

[–] kuneho@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago
[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 126 points 18 hours ago (4 children)

Anybody who's played palworld knows the game is nothing like pokemon. What's next, are they going to claim they are the only company who can make games with 4 legged animals?

[–] PunchingWood@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago

I played it and I felt like it borrowed a lot of elements from Pokemon. It wasn't Pokemon, but you can't deny it took like 90% of their inspiration from Pokemon and then added guns to it.

[–] Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world 7 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

I don't understand. Everyone, literally EVERYONE was calling this game pokemon with guns when it released, so why are people mad that the makers of pokemon are suing? We all saw it from the start

[–] Croquette@sh.itjust.works 31 points 6 hours ago

The comparison is valid, but doesn't mean it infringes on any patent.

Otherwise, FromSoftware would sue the shit out of every soulslike out there.

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Just because it has a resemblance to pokemon doesn't make it pokemon. The gameplay is completely different.

[–] grayhaze@lemmy.world -1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

So you don't catch "pals" by weakening them and throwing a ball at them?

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 hour ago

Palworld is an open world survival crafting factory/base building game, that happens to borrow the catching mechanic from Pokemon (who borrowed it from Shin Megami Tensei).

[–] PunchingWood@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

I think it's understandable why they sue them (I doubt it holds up in court though), it's just horrible business practice because Nintendo is too lazy to actually innovate and do something creative for a change, instead of sitting on franchises like that and do fuck all with it, only releasing repetitive piss-poor games based on the exact same concept they invented like 30+ years ago.

The problem is people will still buy Pokemon, even if they're absolute garbage games. So Nintendo won't change it either.

[–] june@lemmy.dbzer0.com 40 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

They said patent violations, not copyright, so it is about some sort of mechanic or system and not the pals or any specific designs. I'm guessing the thrown ball capture system, since it seems no other developers have published anything using that specifically.

[–] RogueAozame@programming.dev 8 points 6 hours ago

They shouldnt be able to sue for that cause a patent only lasts for 20 years in Japan. I saw some guesses that there might be a patent for one of their legends games that they are suing for.

[–] Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

World of Final Fantasy is as close to a Pokemon rip off as you can get, and they didn't get sued.

Edit. And now I think about it, the mobile game of Rick and Morty was very much a reskin of Pokemon.

[–] GuillaumeGus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 15 hours ago

I'm sorry, it's mostly humanoid furries now with the starter Pokémon...

[–] Caligvla@lemmy.dbzer0.com 120 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Took them a while. But like clockwork, Nintendo never misses a chance to be the villains.

[–] RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 67 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

They had to wait for PalWorld to sell a lot and make a lot of money so they can financially ruin these people instead of just telling them "don't do that."

Literal Comic-Book Villain behavior.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

They had to wait for PalWorld to sell a lot and make a lot of money so they can ~~financially ruin these people instead of just telling them “don’t do that."~~ make themselves a lot of money by doing nothing but make a lawsuit to steal their earnings."

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 12 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Doesn't matter to them, when millions line up to see the next wacky thing Mario is up to, for the 55th time

[–] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 26 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Bad move by Nintendo. This game was on track to be forgotten. Pocketpair forgot about it months ago, but the players were starting to catch on to that. Now there will be a resurgence of interest.

[–] suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml 38 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (2 children)

This game was on track to be forgotten

Game is just outside the top 50 on steam and had a major content release at the end of June. This 'game is dying'-because-it-didn't-indefinitely-sustain-player-counts-in-the-top-10 meme is dumb as hell.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

It's a pocketpair thing though as far as "abandoning" a game. As a craftopia player I know all too well how they start off and then drag their feet with minimal input after a certain time. It's one thing I was worried about with palworld before it even came out. :/

[–] Renacles@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

They are not going to abandon a success this big

[–] PunchingWood@lemmy.world 0 points 5 hours ago

Well statistically speaking like only 1% of their peak player count at launch was still playing the game.

It doesn't do bad on the top ranking out of all games on Steam, but it didn't do great anymore either.

[–] ludicolo@lemmy.ml 25 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Nah all that gamer malice will be dropped at the tip of a hat with a Switch 2 announcement sadly. Pocketpair will be bled of money into bankruptcy and Nintendo will win.

It is morally right to pirate Nintendo games.

[–] RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 11 points 12 hours ago

Sony is a shareholder and Microsoft has also supportted PocketPair, it will be interesting to see how that works out with Nintendo.

[–] sumguyonline@lemmy.world 15 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

Stop buying Nintendo. They can't create quality new IP's, just rehashes over and over, at this point she ain't got a peach, bowser mashed it into a pie, and Mario's eating it for breakfast, lunch, an after dinner snack.

[–] celsiustimeline@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 6 hours ago

You lost me in the second half.

[–] AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 2 points 8 hours ago

The problem is they're such a large and recognizable company that they could probably switch to making and selling malware and everyone would still buy it without thinking twice. Humanity is full of idiots.

[–] JiveTurkey@lemmy.world 27 points 15 hours ago

Fuck you Nintendo.

[–] hal_5700X@sh.itjust.works 77 points 18 hours ago (8 children)
[–] SlippiHUD@lemmy.world 85 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

Half of those patents read like if they use vague enough language they can justify patenting how computers work.

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 61 points 16 hours ago

Welcome to Software Patents 101.

[–] testuserpleaseupvote@lemmy.world 36 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

How can they let companies file such broad, vague patents for mechanics that have existed since forever? For example, 20240286040, is just what flying mounts have done in WoW since 2007 or even the flying cap in Mario 64 ffs. There are probably other earlier examples, but it goes to show that it's just noise to monopolize innovation and scare other devs.

[–] msgomez06@lemmy.world 5 points 11 hours ago

Long story short, the claims get much longer and restrictive through the application process. The example you asked about is currently undergoing a non-final rejection, and the claims will get much more restrictive in further iterations (assuming that the application has actual merit somewhere in the original dependent claims)

You can check the application history here: Global Dossier

[–] ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca 34 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

My guess is the "Pokemon Box Storage" system since palworld stores pals in a palbox.

[–] radix@lemmy.world 52 points 17 hours ago

Nintendo patents video game inventory system.

Not the onion.

(Not a patent lawyer, and I'm sure it's more complicated than that, but come on)

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[–] HelluvaKick@lemmy.world 40 points 18 hours ago (2 children)
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[–] RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 17 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Since this is over patent and not copyright, wouldn't this have to be about patents filed after the year 2003 and before 2024? AFAIK, patents don't get extended and cannot be re-filed, and Pokemon has existed since the 1990s, where a lot of its patents would have been created. Unless for some reason Nintendo delayed filing the patents for more than 5-10 years but I don't know that patents are allowed to have such a time gap between publication and filing or not. Perhaps Japan has different patent laws, their laws notoriously favor businesses so I wouldn't be surprised.

Additionally, at least in the USA, some things like gameplay elements cannot be patented if they are necessary for the genre of the product. For example, a first person camera, guns, shooting, etc. are not elements that can be patented as they are necessary for FPS games in general, but some kind of specific new technology like the way Doom draws its 3D world could be patented.

For a Creature Catcher game like PalWorld, devices (very vague and generic term that legally should not be patentable because it is too generic BTW) to catch, store, and deploy creatures is necessary to the genre. Unless it is specifically code or the same exact way that both PalWorld and PokeMon function, I do not see how Nintendo thinks they can win other than by bankrupting their opposition like usual.

Really hope this one turns out like Lewis Galoob Toys Inc v Nintendo of America, but the Japan version.

[–] JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.world 34 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Had to wait until no one gave a shit about Palworld anymore

[–] RxBrad@infosec.pub 19 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Wait until they make all the money that was to be made on their game.

Then yoink all of that money.

[–] JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

That and it also would have been a lot more bad press for Nintendo had they taken action when the game was first popular

Not that Nintendo's legal team has ever had an issue with bad press

[–] ampersandrew@lemmy.world 33 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

So like...no mention of which patents?

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 35 points 18 hours ago

They're just gonna wing it and hope they have something.

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