Pokémon Go’s method of establishing Pokéstops and Gyms have been making some noise among residents and certain businesses due to the large crowd of people it attracts. Now though, one highly irritated resident has decided enough is enough, and has sued Niantic because of it.
First discovered by Polygon, this lawsuit, which was filed by a New Jersey resident by the name of Jeffery Marder, claims that Niantic has placed Pokéstops and Pokémon gyms on private property without the owner’s consent. “At least give individuals knocked on plaintiff’s foor and asked for access to plaintiff’s backyard in order to ‘catch’ Pokémon that the game had placed in Plaintiff’s residence in West Orange, New Jersey – without plaintiff’s permission,” says the suit. The lawsuit also claims that Pokémon Go players are interfering with the use and enjoyment of his home. Marder believes that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are profiting from a game that can have players entering private property.
Currently, the suit has been filed solely by Marder, but there is a paragraph in there that potentially states that anyone who has been inconvenieced by the placement of Pokéstops or Pokémon Gym could take part in the suit against Niantic as well. The three parties implicated in this lawsuit, which are Niantic, The Pokémon Company and Nintendo will have 21 days to respond to the suit.