US Patent Office Revokes Nintendo's Character Summoning Mechanic Patent

Nintendo has faced a significant setback in its attempt to secure exclusive rights over a fundamental video game mechanic.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has officially revoked a patent previously granted to Nintendo last year. This patent pertained to an in-game character summoning system, which enables players to call upon allied characters to participate in battles on their behalf—a mechanic widely recognized and utilized in popular series such as Pokémon.

The re-examination leading to this revocation was initiated by USPTO Director John Squires just two months after the patent's original issuance. This action marked a rare instance, being the first time since 2012 that the head of the office personally ordered such a review without an official complaint from another entity. The primary impetus for this review stemmed from serious doubts regarding the novelty of the patented mechanic when weighed against existing prior art.

As a result of the comprehensive review, the USPTO rejected all 26 claims made within the patent, effectively nullifying its validity. However, this decision is not yet final. Nintendo retains the right to respond to the ruling within two months, request an extension for this period, or file a formal appeal against the revocation.

During the re-examination process, patent examiners scrutinized several earlier patents, including key developments from Konami (the Yabe patent from 2002), Nintendo's own prior patents (Taura from 2020 and Motokura from 2022), and Bandai Namco (the Shimomoto patent from 2020). The office ultimately concluded that the cumulative effect and combination of these previously established solutions rendered all elements claimed in Nintendo's recently revoked patent invalid due to a lack of inventive step or novelty.