Back in May 2023, well before Umamusme: Pretty Derby had launched in English, developer Cygames was sued by Konami over allegations of patent infringement. Today, the company announced that it has settled that lawsuit, though it continues to insist it never infringed on Konami's patents.
The settlement was announced by Cygames' parent company, CyberAgent, earlier today. "Since being sued on March 31, 2023," the announcement reads, "Cygames has requested invalidation trials for all 18 patents involved in the lawsuit and remains confident that no patent infringement has occurred. However, Cygames decided to settle the dispute in order to resolve it promptly and ensure that users of Uma Musume Pretty Derby can enjoy the service at ease in the long term."
CyberAgent says the "terms of the settlement will not be disclosed, except as required by law or regulation, in accordance with confidentiality obligations." Konami originally sought 4 billion yen in damages for Cygames' alleged patent infringement, which translates to roughly $26 million USD today. The details of the patents at the heart of the dispute were never made clear.
Patent disputes between Japanese game companies have been creating a whole lot of headlines lately, as Pokemon and Palworld fans alike wait to see what the outcome of the lawsuit between Nintendo and Pocketpair will be. That one has offered a whole lot more public theater, however, and seems a whole lot less likely to reach a quiet end.
"The CyberAgent group respects the efforts of creators at companies in the game industry, including Konami Digital Entertainment, and the numerous games they have created," the company says in its statement. "Through this settlement, we will once again strive for the further development of the game industry."
