FILE – A symbolic photo of Pokemon. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
Read more Tomball woman charged with murder called 911 to confess to shooting boyfriend
An Iowa man is suing Nintendo because he was denied a Pokémon Professor certification after scoring a 100% on the examination.
The lawsuit, filed in a Northern District of Iowa U.S. District Court, claimed Kyle Owens, 34, was being “unlawfully excluded” from gaining a Pokémon Professor status.
Dig deeper:
Owens claimed that after passing the exam, a background check was required.
The background check found a “low-level Illinois felony that was more than ten years old” which was the basis for denying Owens a Pokemon Professor status, the lawsuit claimed.
After Owens challenged this basis, the entity abandoned it and instead cited three Pennsylvania misdemeanors “that did not show guilty findings.”
Read more Lockdown lifted at Klein Forest HS after report of weapon deemed false
What they’re saying:
“Defendants’ shifting reasons show arbitrary decision-making, bad faith, pretext, lack of consistent standards, lack of a legitimate nexus between the record information and the certification sought,” the lawsuit said.
Owens said because he was denied professor status, he lost access to special tools, event-hosting authority, prospective customer traffic, and other economic benefits.
Owens claimed Nintendo and Pokémon Company International violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, a federal law that outlaws monopolistic business practices and conspiracies that unreasonably restrain foreign trade.
What’s next:
Owens is seeking $341,000 in damages, as well as his Pokémon Professor certification.
Read more 27 bricks of cocaine wash up on Galveston beach
FOX has reached out to Nintendo for comment.