Cygames announced, through the network of officials, that a settlement had been reached with Collème in connection with the Seymour Pretty Derby and the trial in which the patent was invalid. The bulletin, entitled “Note on conciliation with my company’s actions”, sets out the context of the incident: “We have initiated invalid trials of all 18 patents involved since we were indicted on 31 March 2023.”
Cygames further states: “Although we remain convinced that there is no patent tort, we have failed to resolve the dispute as soon as possible and to ensure that users can continue to enjoy the ” Saimas ” game in a safe and secure environment, and have decided to end the dispute by conciliation. The specific content of the settlement is not made public under confidentiality agreements.” Cygames also pays tribute to Columy and his fellow players in the game: “We highly respect the creativity and the efforts of the creators of business games like Columy Digital Entertainment. Through this reconciliation, it is expected to contribute to the further development of the whole game industry. Cygames will continue to work to provide the world’s users with something to enjoy.”
In 2023, Columy charged the ” horse ” with violating her patent rights and claimed Yen 4 billion (approximately US$ 29.2 million) and the corresponding delay in cash, while demanding that the game be banned from production, use and network dissemination. According to the early announcement made by CyberAgent, the parent company of Cygames, ” Mamas Racer Pretty Derby ” , a cross-media project at the heart of the humanization of “Maas” in the name of succession to horse racers, a game version of which is a simulation of masques. Cygames had issued a statement at the beginning of the proceedings revealing that, despite sincere consultations with Columy on the game system and the elements of the procedure, the lack of agreement on the positions of the two parties had led to a court of law. At that time, the company asserted that it was “convinced that the ” Saimass ” did not violate Columé’s patent rights and that it would justify its position through legal proceedings” and assured the player that “play services would not be affected to continue to operate”.
This settlement marks the end of a legal dispute that lasted more than two years.