日本以外の国ではゲーム特許を取得することができない
らしい？
@reduzio: Developers in the West are likely unaware but, in Japan, game patents are a thing (Pocketpair is Japanese). A long time ago, when a previous studio I owned worked with Square Enix, they had register/check for patent clearance for our game.
It's why no DDR clones look like it.
@reduzio: In general, as far as I know, Japanese companies won't go after Western companies that infringe their patents, as game mechanics are not patentable elsewhere, but I always wondered about the risk of getting sued if publishing a game in Japan.