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A man in the United States is suing the makers of Pokémon Go on behalf of people whose properties are Gyms and PokéStops in the augmented reality game, after he became frustrated with people trespassing on his private land.
The class action lawsuit is the first to be filed against the Pokémon Go makers, and is seeking damages that, while not specified, could be in excess of $5 million (£3.7 million) for a “flagrant disregard” for the impact of the game on real world places.
Jeffrey Marder, the New Jersey man who brought the case, claimed that at least five players had knocked on his door and asked to catch Pokémon in his garden. The game superimposes creatures into the real world, which players must physically approach in order to catch.
“Defendants have shown a flagrant disregard for the forseeable consequences of populating the real world with virtual Pokémon without seeking the permission of property owners,” the lawsuit alleges.
Marder is seeking class action status against Niantic, the company behind the game that was released a month ago, as well as co-creators Nintendo and the Pokémon Company, on behalf of other owners of residential and public property.
Telegraph UK