CyberAgent Inc. announced on November 7that it has reached an amicable settlement with Konami Digital Entertainment regarding a lawsuit filed against CyberAgent’s subsidiary Cygames and its requests for invalidation trials for patents against Konami. The cause of the legal dispute was Umamusume: Pretty Derby’s alleged infringement upon multiple Konami-owned patents.
The lawsuit in question was filed in May 2025 in the Tokyo District Court, with Konami seeking over $26 million USD in reparations (plus late payment interest), as well as termination of services of Umamusume. Prior to the lawsuit, Cygames was in discussions with Konami regarding patent rights for certain parts of Umamusume’s game system and program. However, Cygames’s view on the issue was not deemed acceptable by Konami, resulting in the Silent Hill publisher’s decision to take legal action.
While it wasn’t made clear which patents Cygames infringed upon, it is speculated that Umamusume’s signature “training” system could’ve been what bugged Konami. After all, Konami is known for multiple titles that utilize such systems, including classics like Power Pros and Tokimeki Memorial.
The conflict further escalated with Cygames demanding trials for the invalidation of each of the 18 patents cited in the lawsuit. However, the two companies have announced that they reached an amicable settlement this month regarding both the lawsuit and the patent invalidation trials. Cygames explained that it still stands by its claim that no patent infringement happened, but their decision to reconcile with Konami was “to ensure that Umamusume fans can keep enjoying the game with peace of mind.”
As stated in the announcement, due to the terms of the settlement, Cygames will not be able to disclose certain details of the legal dispute – which means the nature of the patents in question and the details of the lawsuit will likely remain unknown. Luckily, now that the lawsuit has been settled on a positive note, fans do not have to worry about Umamusume possibly having to shut down.
Related articles:
