Pokémon Go News: Milwaukee County Prohibits Pokestops On Parks; Niantic To Seek Permission Before Use
"Pokémon Go" seems to be landing in trouble one after another. After the ban by the Chinese security agencies, it is now the turn of Milwaukee County to order a ban. The governing body has approved an ordinance that requires Niantic to get permission before creating PokeStops and Gyms in a Milwaukee park for "Pokémon Go."
The Milwaukee County Board gave approval to an ordinance last week that requires Niantic to seek permission before using its public space, reports VentureBeat. The decision was taken in view of the huge number of footfalls that created an equally massive mess in the parks when "Pokémon Go" launched last July. The cleanup proved to be costly for the governing body.
It was reported that the damage wreaked by the "Pokémon Go" players burnt a hole in the pockets of the county board. It had to spend thousands of dollars to get the parks back into shape. What is more, the burden fell on the taxpayers as well and thus, the body decided to enforce some control.
So, from now onwards Niantic would have to take permission before using the parks for "Pokémon Go" stops. However, the rule will not have any direct effect on the players as the Milwaukee board only wants to target Niantic, the game developer. As for Niantic, it has not spoken out yet about the ruling and would probably not want to follow it as the board could be violating the developer's right to free expression.
Also, it is not yet clear if the ordinance barring "Pokémon Go" has acquired the "rule of law" status, claims Mashable. Though the ordinance got an approval from the committee, it has not yet acquired the "rule of law" status. This is to say that it could be vetoed at the executive level and again it could be overruled by the committee vote.
Notably, the committee would be meeting again next week on Feb. 16 and it remains to be seen how things turn out for "Pokémon Go." If the decision is in favor of Niantic, players will not face any problems catching their "Pokémon Go" monsters. However, if it is unfavorable, Niantic would have to alter its Pokestops or it might challenge the ruling.
