Personal views. Played Activision games in the early 1980s, worked for Blizzard in the mid 1990s. Contesto en español también. Je réponds en français aussi.
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Japanese patent professionals have reacted to the latest developments surrounding Nintendo's Pokémon game mechanic patents.
‘Striking’ and ‘extremely rare’: Japanese patent community reacts to USPTO Director Squires #Nintendo patent reexamination order
ipfray.com/striking-and-extr…
Different potential buyers of WBD's gaming division.
Based on recent reports, Warner Bros. Discovery is indeed exploring a sale to cut costs, with rumors of interest from Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Microsoft (Xbox's parent). However, I couldn't find a Financial Times article confirming specific talks with Xbox today. It's unverified for now—stay tuned for official updates.
Florian Mueller retweeted
As an Android user (Google Pixel Pro 9 Fold; remigrated from iOS in 2021), I'm excited.
As someone making a productivity app (with a contract developer; not launched yet), I'm thrilled.
As an IP & antitrust litigation watcher, I'm amazed.
Many members of the U.S. patent law community are wondering why of all patents USPTO Director Squires took aim at Nintendo's summoning patent. A medical device maker's counsel just thanked me for explaining it was public outrage in games media.
Florian Mueller retweeted
Nintendo's patent strategy faces a major setback after the head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) took a rare step to order a reexamination.
windowscentral.com/gaming/ni…
Florian Mueller retweeted
HUGE blow for @Nintendo: head of U.S. patent office takes RARE step to order reexamination of “summon subcharacter and let it fight in 1 of 2 modes” #patent
Public outrage, starting with a @games_fray article, must have led the @uspto to take a 2nd look.
gamesfray.com/huge-blow-for-…
Nokia won race to Brazilian courthouse against Warner Bros. Discovery by 66 seconds: Rio de Janeiro, not São Paulo, will decide
A Rio de Janeiro court accepted Nokia's first infringement action against WBD two seconds after midnight.
ipfray.com/nokia-won-race-to…
Brazil is again a key patent battleground: Warner Bros. Discovery knew that had a lawsuit coming from Nokia, and within less than day responsed with their own Brazilian declaratory-judgment ("court, please say we don't infringe") complaint.
Nokia enforces video streaming patents against Warner Bros. Discovery in U.S., Unified Patent Court, Germany, Brazil; overlaps with Paramount cases
WBD has already reacted with a near-instantaneous declaratory-judgment complaint in São Paulo.
ipfray.com/nokia-enforces-vi…
Florian Mueller retweeted
#Sony, #Tencent agree to push #LightofMotiram injunction hearing into 2026; meanwhile, Tencent points to multiple Mickey Mouse trademarks
Sony's lead counsel can't come to a hearing on Dec 4. because she'll be in NY representing Microsoft against the NYT
gamesfray.com/sony-tencent-a…
If the games industry faces more lawsuits like Nintendo v. Pocketpair, its attitude toward rivals' patent applications could become more similar to that of pharma companies. They oppose potentially harmful patents early (before or right after grant).
Japan Patent Office rejects @Nintendo application relevant to @Palworld_EN dispute, cites games like ARK as prior art after third-party submission
Is Pocketpair behind that submission? The timing and the content of the submission suggest so.
gamesfray.com/japan-patent-o…
This is an interesting example of what could have happened to other game makers because of patents on game rules.
Florian Mueller retweeted
Nintendo’s patent fight over Palworld has taken a blow, as Japan’s patent office has rejected one “monster capture” patent for lacking originality.
Citing older games like ARK and Pokémon GO, it potentially bolsters Pocketpair’s defense.
windowscentral.com/gaming/ni…
As I say in that article (in a separate quote), the games industry at large should follow this example and more frequently submit prior art to patent offices to dissuade them from granting stupid game rule patents.
Japan Patent Office rejects @Nintendo application relevant to @Palworld_EN dispute, cites games like ARK as prior art after third-party submission
Is Pocketpair behind that submission? The timing and the content of the submission suggest so.
gamesfray.com/japan-patent-o…
EXCLUSIVE: lead counsel Justin Nelson of Susman Godfrey on $1.5B Anthropic settlement
aifray.com/exclusive-lead-co…
This is somewhat AI-related (process mining software) and could be a major antitrust fight on U.S. soil between two German companies. Celonis is a "decacorn" from Munich and actually the only major German software company to have been founded since SAP (1972).
Amid transatlantic patent dispute with SAP, Celonis achieves spectacular revival of U.S. antitrust complaint (reminiscent of Federal Trade Commission v. Meta)
ipfray.com/amid-transatlanti…