{"id":53713,"date":"2025-11-07T17:50:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T08:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=53713"},"modified":"2025-11-17T12:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T03:03:09","slug":"konami-and-cygames-reach-settlement-in-patent-lawsuit-over-umamusume-pretty-derby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/konami-and-cygames-reach-settlement-in-patent-lawsuit-over-umamusume-pretty-derby\/","title":{"rendered":"Konami and Cygames reach settlement in patent lawsuit over Umamusume: Pretty Derby"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CyberAgent Inc. announced<\/a> on November 7 that it has reached an amicable settlement with Konami Digital Entertainment regarding a lawsuit filed against CyberAgent\u2019s subsidiary Cygames and its requests for invalidation trials for patents against Konami. The cause of the legal dispute was Umamusume: Pretty Derby\u2019s<\/strong> alleged infringement upon multiple Konami-owned patents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawsuit in question<\/a> was filed in May 2023 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\u2019s game system and program. However, Cygames\u2019s view on the issue was not deemed acceptable by Konami, resulting in the Silent Hill publisher\u2019s decision to take legal action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Umamusume<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While it wasn\u2019t made clear which patents Cygames infringed upon, it is speculated that Umamusume\u2019s signature \u201ctraining\u201d system could\u2019ve been what bugged Konami. After all, Konami is known for multiple titles that utilize such systems, including classics like Power Pros and Tokimeki Memorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cto ensure that Umamusume fans can keep enjoying the game with peace of mind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hoyoverse\u2019s Honkai: Nexus Anima \u201cinfringes\u201d Nintendo mount patent from Palworld lawsuit, IP consultant says 
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palworld changing game mechanics because of Nintendo lawsuit isn\u2019t an admission of infringement, Japanese patent attorney stresses 
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Edited 8\/11\/2025<\/em>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CyberAgent announced on November 7that it has reached an amicable settlement with Konami regarding a patent lawsuit filed against Cygames.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":53716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-53713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nKonami and Cygames reach settlement in patent lawsuit over Umamusume: Pretty Derby - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CyberAgent announced on November 7that it has reached an amicable settlement with Konami regarding a patent lawsuit filed against Cygames.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/konami-and-cygames-reach-settlement-in-patent-lawsuit-over-umamusume-pretty-derby\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Konami and Cygames reach settlement in patent lawsuit over Umamusume: Pretty Derby - 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