Pokemon Go Is Being Sued, Because Of Course It Is

So here's something we should have all seen coming: A guy is trying to sue pretty much everyone involved with Pokemon Go because the game placed Pokemon in his yard without asking his permission first. Yes, he is quite literally suing Niantic, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company because those damn kids won't get off his lawn.

A quick bit of back story, in case you've missed the other 5,362 Pokemon Go stories and have no idea how the mobile game works. One of the features allows folks to "tag" locations and submit them to Niantic, who may then turn said location into an in-game PokeStop or Gym. These locations are supposed to be pieces of art or locations of significance, giving players something to learn about while venturing around in Pokemon Go.

However, as is evidenced by a bike rack PokeStop at my local mall, it doesn't seem like Niantic is being too picky when it comes to selecting PokeStops and, furthermore, nobody has to ask permission before submitting a given location for consideration. On top of that, the game just places Pokemon willy-nilly, again without asking if it's okay to drop a Pikachu on your front lawn.

A New Jersey man by the name of Jeffrey Marder isn't too happy about that fact, and is suing a trio of companies because, well, he apparently doesn't know which one to blame for his frustrations. According to the report from Polygon, Marder discovered how the game works when he noticed people hanging around his house with their phones.

This whole thing started because "at least five individuals" had the audacity to knock on the guy's door and ask if they could go into his backyard, where this inconsiderate game decided to drop a Pokemon. The plaintiff is claiming that nobody ever asked him if it would be okay to put a Pokemon in his yard and that's apparently causing him some hardships. Here's a brief snippet from the court documents:

To create that immersive world, Niantic made unauthorized use of Plaintiff's and other Class members' property by placing Pokéstops and Pokémon gyms thereupon or nearby.

The lawsuit is, of course, gunning for class action status. The suit mentions the incident in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, where folks were reported to be playing Pokemon Go. There's no mention made that, in all of these cases, the culprit is actually inconsiderate people and not a game "forcing" anyone to do anything. It also seems to skip over the fact that anyone can request a given area, such as a home or business, be blocked from the game.

At the moment, the accused parties have about 20 days to respond to the suit. We'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out but, in the meantime, as always, we remind folks to keep their brain switched on while playing Pokemon Go and maybe fewer folks will make such ridiculous claims.

Pokemon Go is facing another lawsuit, from a couple whose proximity to a Pokestop is causing some problems. More information on that here .

Ryan Winslett

Staff Writer for CinemaBlend.