Has The Pokemon/Palworld Lawsuit Been Compromised By Astroturfing?

We have to question the nature of coverage surrounding the lawsuit as a whole.

A surprising accusation has come up regarding the Palworld vs. Pokémon lawsuit.

Last September 2024, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit vs. Pocketpair in Japan, claiming that their game Palworld violated Pokémon patents. This has split gamers down the middle around the world, but this latest accusation isn’t being filed in court.

Nintendo Patents Watch is accusing Florian Mueller, who used the alias FOSS Patents and runs the website GamesFray, of astroturfing Pokémon and their patents.

In his blog, he established a pattern of Florian making posts misrepresenting and maligning said patents, with the intention of ruining The Pokémon Company’s reputation (and creating confusion about how patents work.)

We have reported on news that’s come from both Florian Mueller and Nintendo Patents Watch many times through the years.

What’s particularly troublesome is that Florian’s Games Fray has frequently been used as a primary source for coverage on the Palworld vs. Pokémon lawsuit. Many outlets, including us, did not question Florian’s credibility or motives.

If Nintendo Patents Watch is correct, it’s also led to some invalid or at least questionable legal actions regarding patents.