Capcom Wins Judgement to Uphold Patent in
Lawsuit to Rescind Decision for its Patent #3350773

Capcom Co., Ltd. (Capcom) today announced that the Intellectual Property High Court dismissed a lawsuit to rescind a decision, which was filed against Capcom by Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd. (Koei Tecmo), securing a judgement in favor of Capcom.

The lawsuit to rescind a decision was filed by Koei Tecmo in the Intellectual Property High Court on May 10, 2017 in parallel to Capcom’s patent infringement case against Koei Tecmo. The suit followed a decision by the Japan Patent Office to uphold Capcom’s patent #3350773 (the Patent) on March 24, 2017, a decision that stemmed from an appeal to invalidate a patent, in which Koei Tecmo sought a revocation of the Patent on April 17, 2015.

Today, the Intellectual Property High Court handed down its decision to dismiss the claim made by the plaintiff (Koei Tecmo). The Patent relates to methods for unlocking bonus content when the DVD-ROM of the latest title of a game series is set in a game console, by placing the DVD-ROM of the previous title of the game series into the console. Capcom believes that with this decision, the Intellectual Property High Court has demonstrated sound judgement, and further, has recognized the validity of the Patent.

Capcom is committed to improving customer experiences and expanding the game industry by promoting the effective use of its patents through methods such as licensing, while safeguarding the inventions associated with each of its titles.