Yoshi's Cookie: Intellectual what!?

[nocturnal YL]

Please take a look:
img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/macromediaflashmx2005/YoshisCookieEnding.jpg

Discovering Nintendo Puzzle Collection music made me interested in the game again. And thus, the question.

Clearly, this "Intellectual Property Consultants Inc" is not a game developer of any time. I assume that Bullet Proof / Blue Planet is dead and its properties are taken over by this IP handling agent? I could have guessed this only by name though, since I can in no way find this "Intellectual Property Consultants Inc" on the internet.

Why didn't they sell the rights to another game company to at least let their game concepts live on? I don't quite understand. Can't they at least sell their rights to Nintendo or The Tetris Company or anyone capable of making puzzle games?

[Fryguy64]

Inaro, eh? That's the game Nintendo originally saw at an electronics show and turned into Yoshi's Cookie with BPS.

I presume that the rights to that original gameplay are now handled by this external company following BPS pretty much not existing... but this isn't unusual. It's much like the rights to Tetris are handled by The Tetris Company. The rights to other design elements unique to Nintendo's versions are still owned by Nintendo (e.g. music).

Nintendo still owns the rights to Yoshi's Cookie, but need to secure permission from Intellectual Property Consultants Inc. in order to make Yoshi's Cookie games.