Last week, Nintendo announced that it was pursuing a patent lawsuit against Pocketpair, the developers of Palworld. The announcement kicked off a frenzy of discourse and speculation: Is Nintendo suing Pocketpair over patents on Pokémon catching? What are Pocketpair's odds of survival when staring down the Nintendo legal behemoth? Why can a videogame publisher hold patents on game design in the first place?
Navigating the complicated world of intellectual property law is a nightmare in the best circumstances, so I sought out an expert. Earlier this week, I spoke with Kirk Sigmon, an IP attorney whose early days in Tokyo law firms has led to a lengthy history with videogame patent law. Sigmon regularly writes on videogame law, recently publishing a paper in the Cardozo Law Review about the copyright implications of fans decompiling Nintendo games.
