Nintendo Patents Hit Another Wall Amid Palword Lawsuit

Nintendo’s touchscreen-related monster-catching patent has been rejected for lack of prior art and an inventive step.

Nintendo has sought several additional patents since the Palworld lawsuit began, with a Pokémon-summoning-and-fighting patent being rejected by the USPTO on non-final grounds. Now, another one related to monster-catching has been rejected; however, Nintendo has already amended some of its claims.

Nintendo’s Touchscreen-Based Monster Catching Patent Has Been Rejected

A recent report by GamesFray has revealed that a new Nintendo patent was made public by the Japan Patent Office. This patent relates to monster-catching, with a specific focus on touchscreen technology. Speculation suggests that this patent may have come into the picture to counter the recently announced Palworld Mobile title and Tencent’s Roco Kingdom: World. The application was filed in 2026, and Nintendo has requested a fast-track review.

Nintendo has already received a response to this patent, with the JPO rejecting it for failing to include “an inventive step over the prior art”. The examiner has also listed many games as prior art, including Pokémon Generations, the mobile version of PUBG Mobile, YouTube videos, and other pages.

In other news, Nintendo has announced it will be present at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne for all four days in August. Additionally, a new Gears of War and Dead Space clone has appeared on the Nintendo eShop and is set for release this month. What are your thoughts on Nintendo’s patent hitting another wall while the Palworld lawsuit goes on? Leave your thoughts down in the comments, and join the official Insider Gaming Discord server.

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