Bank of Innovation
On October 21, Sega filed a lawsuit against Bank of Innovation (BOI), a Japanese mobile game developer best known for an RPG Memento Mori, over patent infringement. This filing closely follows Nintendo’s suing the developer of Palword over the game mechanics.
As reported by Automation, SEGA alleges that two BOI titles infringe on its rights to intellectual property. They include BOI’s mobile RPGs Genjuu Keiyaku Cryptract, which was available from 2012 to 2019, and Memento Mori, which launched in 2022. The latter title has seen a major growth in popularity and was also released on PC. At one point, it constituted more than 90% of the developer’s net sales.
SEGA and BOI have been negotiating on the concern but apparently haven’t reached a mutual agreement. The company’s claims include an injunction for patent infringement and damages of more than 1 billion yen (about $6.6 million). The defendant, in turn, considers the claims unfounded and intends to run Memento Mori despite the lawsuit’s result.
Bank of Innovation
SEGA claims that five patents registered in Japan are infringed. They are related to gacha mechanics, such as synthesis and ceiling systems. CEO of Kantan Games, Japan Game Industry Consulting, shared details on the patents’ content and said that one of them described a “specific system for fusing character cards of the same kind more easily.”
Toto also stated that BOI’s stock dropped by 17.86% in Tokyo on October 22. He supposes that Nintendo’s and SEGA’s lawsuits might start a “trend in big Japanese studios looking for damages from smaller ones that surprisingly launch hit games.”
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