This lawsuit against Pokémon Go isn't as crazy as it might sound

A couple is suing Pokemon Go's creators and owners for ruining their lives
(Image credit: iStock)

Scott Dodich and Jayme Gotts-Dodich have a clear message for the Pokémon Go players who have invaded their local park and private cul-de-sac in St. Clair Shores, Michigan: Get off of their lawn! Also, don't park in front of their driveway and those of their neighbors, and don't trample their landscaping and look in their windows — and, when they ask you to leave their property, don't yell, "Shut up b****, or else," as one Pokémon Go fan did, according to a federal class action lawsuit the Dodiches filed against three companies that make, sell, or own Pokémon Go: Niantic, Nintendo, and Pokemon Co.

"Nobody gets sleep anymore," says the lawsuit, filed Aug. 10 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Pokémon players "hang out on our lawns, trample landscaping, look in vehicles... We don't feel safe... I don't feel safe sitting on our porch." This is Niantic's fault, the Dodich suit claims, because the company places Pokéstops and Pokémon gyms (GPS coordinates where the virtual creatures appear) on or near private property with "a flagrant disregard for the foreseeable consequences of populating the real world with virtual Pokémon without seeking the permission of property owners."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.