Nintendo’s summoning characters to make them battle patent has been rejected, but not a final ruling

Last year, Nintendo (and The Pokemon Company) obtained a patent in the United States which involved summoning a character and letting it fight another. Reaction to the news was negative and many wondered what the impact could be for future games.

A couple of months later, we heard that USPTO Director John A. Squires had ordered a reexamination. We now have an update on the situation following that development. 

Nintendo did not respond to the order, which was expected. Squires began the reexamination process and put out a non-final Office action last week and rejected all 26 claims of the patent.

So what’s next? This rejection is non-final and Nintendo can respond within the next two months, though the time limit can be extended if the company makes a request. An appeal can also be made to the Federal Circuit.

If we hear about any movement from Nintendo, we’ll be sure to let you know.