Legal scholar suggests that an old GTA 5 mod may benefit Palworld in potential legal dispute

It is known to our readers that Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, is preparing for a legal battle against Nintendo, in dispute with three alleged patent infringements and a sum of $66K. While legal specialists continue discussing possible outcomes for both sides, an interesting new argument supporting Pocketpair has surfaced.

According to Ryo Arashida, a patent attorney from the Japan-based Patent Attorney Corporation Siarasia, in a comment to the Nikkei Business Online Edition, Palworld may be able to debunk one of the patent claims – the one about utilizing a spherical object to trap a creature. This is due to the fact that a fan-created mod for Grand Theft Auto V had a similar feature in 2016, before the original 2021 filing. This could potentially be regarded as an earlier invention by the Japanese court.

Though it seems highly speculative from a legal standpoint, it certainly adds an intriguing complexity to a case that may not be as clear-cut as might be assumed considering Nintendo’s significant legal force. Despite the patent disagreement in Japan, Palworld’s introduction on PlayStation 5 scored impressive numbers in that nation, featuring at the top of Japan’s list and achieving #10 worldwide in October.