SomePalworldfans are threatening a boycott of Nintendo products, citing new developments in the lawsuit between the two parties.Nintendo officially sued Pocketpair, the developer/publisher ofPalworld, last September, alleging patent infringement. The video game giant asserts that certain gameplay features inPalworld, including certain mechanics related to catching monsters and riding creatures, infringe on Nintendo’s patents. Pocketpair has sincealtered how some of these mechanics workin a controversial update toPalworld.
Last week, the Nintendo-Palworldlawsuit got an unexpected update when it was revealed thatNintendo requested a correction to three of the patents involved in the lawsuit, changing the language around its patent on mounts.Screen Rant’s coverage of this developmentdrew a wide range of reactions, with comments that were too good to ignore as players questioned the legality of Nintendo’s decision, with some even calling for a boycott.
Palworld Fans Are Threatening To Boycott Nintendo Over Patent Lawsuit
“I Think It’s Time The Public Got Involved”
UserMonstersopened their comment with, “There is no way that this is legal[.] Nintendo just can’t go and change a patent in the middle of a lawsuit.” Now, as far as we can tell,it is perfectly legal in Japan (as in the US) to modify a patent mid-lawsuit, although only minor corrections are allowed.
However, whether it’s ethical to do so is a better question - as is whether it’s sound legal practice. The corrections will almost certainly come up in court, and could be used aspart of Pocketpair’s defense, which hasconsistently claimed that Nintendo’s patents on these common game mechanics were never validin the first place.
When another commenter,David, suggested getting the public involved with a petition (whichPalworldfans have already tried),userRichardresponded with a more extreme idea: boycotting Nintendo.
Others, likemichaelandK, echoed that statement, with the latter suggesting facetiously that Nintendo might sue for loss of sales if a boycott were to negatively impact its numbers.
Of course, this is just an idea in its infancy now.Palworldfans haven’t mobilized en masse to boycott Nintendo products, at least not yet. But at least a handful of them have suggested it might be a good idea to get Nintendo to recognize their concerns.
That said,this isn’t the first time this year fans have called for a Nintendo boycott, either, and the previous attempt was anything but a success. When Nintendo first revealed the price of the Switch 2 and its exclusive games, some suggested a boycott might eventually drive the prices down.
Although at least a few people probably participated,it doesn’t seem to have impactedthe Switch 2’s sales. It’s currently the fastest-selling Nintendo console of all time, with 3.5 million units sold in its first four days of release, and prices remain unchanged.
What Fans Are Saying About The Latest Nintendo-Palworld Update
Fans Call For Changes To Patent Law - Or Just Something New From Nintendo
Players responded variously to the most recent developments in the Nintendo-Palworld lawsuit.Many called for a boycott, yes, but others suggested a deeper issue at play.
CommenterCeistylchimed in with “a bone to pick on this patent infringement lawsuit…Why are patents permitted to last for so long when the system or patented feature isn’t being used by the company that holds the patent?”
Still others suggested that Nintendo is just “greedy”(JoeySC), or even envious ofPalworld’s success (John). One user,Meghan, called the lawsuit “petty,” and suggested that Nintendo’s time would be better-used elsewhere: perhaps they could “ACTUALLY make their own Pokémon game and even make it better than Palworld.”
Some users, likeAlex, did defend Nintendo’s lawsuit, claiming thatPalworld’s infringement onPokémonwas always obvious.“Every single person I’ve ever showed Palworld said ‘oh so it’s Pokémon with guns’… they weren’t even trying to hide that they were ripping off Pokémon.”
Nintendo is not suing Pocketpair for copyright infringement based on itsPokemon-inspired designs, but patent infringement based on certain game mechanics.
Ultimately, I’m not sure if a boycott would have much effect on Nintendo’s sales numbers, or its approach to this lawsuit. Nintendo has a much bigger and more established fan base thanPalworld, so it would take almost everyPalworldplayer’s participation to really cut into its bottom line. If nothing else, though, it goes to show thatPalworldfans are upset by Nintendo’s most recent legal move, and that public opinion may be swaying in Pocketpair’s favor.
