Overview
- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a non-final rejection of all 26 claims, reported Wednesday, targeting Nintendo’s 2025 patent on summoning a sub‑character to battle.
- Examiners said the claims were obvious in light of earlier patent applications from Konami (Yabe), Bandai Namco (Shimomoto), and Nintendo itself (Taura, Motokura), relying on filings rather than any review of actual games.
- The rejection follows a rare reexamination ordered by USPTO Director John A. Squires, who said there were substantial new questions of patentability.
- Nintendo now has two months to answer and can try to narrow the claims or later appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit if a final rejection issues.
- The move is a setback for Nintendo’s U.S. strategy tied to Palworld, though the separate lawsuit in Tokyo over different patents continues without change.