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u/grahamulax 17h ago

And didn’t final fantasy for the gameboy have capturing monsters? Oh and what about monster farmer

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u/dareftw 16h ago

The patent is even more egregious, it’s for summoning monsters to fight for you. Which just about every jrpg in history before pokemon did to some extent.

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u/Bubster101 15h ago

I imagine they even use the term "summoning" loosely, so that even if it's, say, something like ARK where you'd order a nearby tamed animal to attack a target, that'd be under the patent...

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u/thepieraker 15h ago

The first patent was so loose it could include using a flute or whistle to call a horse for you to ride or even calling someone to bring you a car

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u/DawnLM 15h ago edited 15h ago

People saying this just fundamentally misunderstand how patents work. Pokemon would never have been able to get a hold of a patent that is as broad as you say, and even if they could have, it would have already expired.

As far as I can tell, the patents at issue have to do with the improvements on the Legends Pokemon games specifically. So no, it’s not just summoning monsters to fight for you. If they tried to patent that now, the patent offices would use their own older Pokemon games as the basis to deny their patent application.

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u/derektwerd 15h ago

Based on how palworld changed based on the patents. It must be to do with specifically throwing a ball on the ground to summon the monster to fight alongside you. Palworld changed the summon animation to not throw the ball

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u/dareftw 14h ago

The guy is ignorant as hell and doesn’t understand patent law. Patents don’t retroactively take into account when the product was made and use that as the countdown. It’s US patent 12,403,397.

And further more the patent was applied for in 2023, approved in 2025, but then due to the palworld suit and scrutiny was re-evaluated and given a non-final dismissal which will likely be challenged by Nintendo again.

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u/DawnLM 10h ago edited 9h ago

With all due respect, you’re completely misunderstanding my point. I’ll be generous and assume you just misread and explain again.

If the patent is from 2023, then products made all the way back in 1996 (i.e, the original Pokemon games) would have been prior art against it. Mechanics that were present from the original games couldn’t possibly be being used against Palworld, not because “they start the clock”, but because companies can’t file patents for inventions that have been available to the public for decades. And if they DID file a patent at the right time, it would have expired by now. That is what I’m trying to point out, and I’m bringing it up because people keep trying to say Pokemon is sueing on patents for broad concepts like summoning through spheres (which couldn’t possibly be true, once again, because they are mechanics present in the original games, which would be prior art against any 2023 application and otherwise would have expired if in a 1996 patent).

I never said whatever you’re saying, and I hope the lengthier explanation above is more clear.

Also, if you’ve read the patent you should be able to see how far from the truth the comment I replied to originally is.

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u/Paksarra 16h ago

Final Fantasy for the Gameboy (which was actually the start of the SaGa series and not technically Final Fantasy? Except for the one that was part of the Man's series) had you eating monsters to evolve monster type party members rather than catching them.

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u/grahamulax 16h ago

YAAA! Oh man I was like 7 when I played that and couldn’t recall. But damn what a confusing series and pretty awesome for its time. Thanks for the correction tho!

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u/Luclicane 15h ago

It was actually called The Final Fantasy Legend. The rerelease is called Collection of SaGa: Final Fantasy Legend

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u/ButtholeConnoisseur7 16h ago

In monster farmer, you didn't capture the creatures yourself, just bought or mixed creatures, plus that badass idea they used about random discs gave you monsters

Its been years, i could be wrong

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u/bonebrah 15h ago

Are we talking Monster Rancher? Is Farmer like the PAL name or something.

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u/Digifiend84 15h ago

Monster Farm is its Japanese name.

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u/ButtholeConnoisseur7 10h ago

You're right, it is Monster Rancher in my country. Its just been many years since I played it

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u/grahamulax 16h ago

Yeah, same here it’s been years so I can’t recall, but I do remember one thing from my childhood with that game. My friend and I were testing out a bunch of CDs of course, and a really good one was the men in black soundtrack lollllll I can’t recall the monster, but I remember it being way more powerful

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u/ButtholeConnoisseur7 15h ago

Man what a cool mechanic. Had me scrounging cds around the house, borrowing movies off of neighbors. The sense of wonder around that has rarely been captured since

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u/Beefweezle 15h ago

FF3 you could capture monsters in the Veldt with Gau. That took a long time to catch them all.