Nintendo denies allegations that it had "any contact" with the Japanese government to lobby against generative AI

Nintendo has officially denied reports that it has been lobbying the Japanese government over the protection of its intellectual property in the face of advances in generative AI.

A Japanese politician, Satoshi Asano, had earlier made a now-retracted statement on his verified X account about OpenAI's Sora 2, mistakenly mentioning that Nintendo of America had dedicated funds for lobbying on this issue regarding "significant" concerns of copyright violations.

Asano issued a series of apologies for spreading "inaccurate information," offering several explanations and apologies through multiple posts and during a YouTube livestream, after deleting his original comment.

Nintendo responded by clarifying on X that it has not engaged with the Japanese government on matters related to generative AI. The statement further mentioned, "Regardless of generative AI, we will persist in taking necessary measures to defend our intellectual property rights."

It remains uncertain if Nintendo plans any additional actions.

In related news, Nintendo recently acquired a patent for a typical gameplay feature that allows one character to summon another for assistance in battle. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) approved patent number 12,403,397 on September 2, 2025. Despite this mechanic being present in previous games by Nintendo and other companies, the application lodged in March 2023 faced no opposition.