No, this is not a belated April Fool’s Day joke. As reported by the Iowa Capital Dispatch a few days ago, an Iowan man is suing Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for refusing to grant him “Pokémon Professor” status. That’s not some made up title, but rather an official thing you can apply for as part of TPC’s “Pokémon Ambassador” program.
Kyle Owens, 34, of Laurens, Iowa alleges that the denial of his application triggers anti-trust actions which violate the Sherman act. “The Pokémon Professor program is not merely recreational,” reads the lawsuit. “It functions as a structured certification and authorization system, granting official status, access to official event tools, the ability to host sanctioned card and video-game matches, listing in an event locator, and opportunities that generate business traffic, customer attendance, product sales, good will and commercial advantage.”
Owens reportedly applied in 2024 and on March 12th of the same year, received notification that he had passed the basic exam for the program with a perfect score. A few months later on May 6th, 2024, Owens would receive word from TPC that his application was denied following a background check and had only scored 80% on the exam. As part of the recent court filings for this case, it was revealed that Owens had a pending arrest warrant filed in another state in 2022 for failing to appear in court on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct by engaging in fighting; possessing, repairing or selling an offensive weapon; and criminal mischief through damage to property.
Owens is seeking $341,000 in damages and an official declaration of his Professor status, which would restore his access to official tools and enable him to host events in the future. He states that he was initially denied the certification due to an “old, low-level felony that was more than 10 years old.” The lawsuit also claims that Owens’ denial doesn’t harm just him, but the broader Iowa-based Pokémon community by not allowing an official Pokémon event to be hosted.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
