Entertainment

Rejected Pokémon Professor Sues Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for $341,000

Editorial Team3 min readUpdated
EntertainmentRejected Pokémon Professor Sues Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for $341,000

Kyle Owens wanted Pokémon Professor status, a volunteer-adjacent title that, in the world of organized Pokémon play, can carry real access to official events and tools. Now the 34-year-old from Laurens, Iowa, is suing Nintendo of America and The Pokémon Company International for $341,000 after his application was rejected following a background check.

Owens filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. According to KCRG, the complaint accuses the companies of violating federal antitrust laws and asks the court for damages, certification, and access to the official systems he says he was wrongly kept out of.

What the Pokémon Professor program does

The Pokémon Professor program is part of Play! Pokémon, the official organized-play system for Pokémon card and video game events. Certified participants can serve as organizers, judges, assistants, and ambassadors at sanctioned events.

Owens argues in the lawsuit that the role is “not merely recreational.” His point is that certification can come with practical and commercial advantages, including access to:

  • Official program tools
  • Sanctioned card and video game events
  • Event listings
  • Customer traffic
  • Product sales opportunities
  • Other benefits connected to organized play

That is the heart of his claim. Owens is not just saying he missed out on a hobby title. He says the denial shut him out of an official event network that can affect local competition, visibility, and sales. It is Pokémon, yes, but with paperwork. Naturally.

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Why his application was denied

Owens says he took the basic exam for the professor role on March 12, 2024, and scored 100%. Court exhibits cited by KCRG, however, state that passing the exam was not the final step. He still had to complete a background check before he could enter the program.

That background check reportedly turned up a pending arrest warrant from another state dating to 2022. The warrant was tied to a failure to appear in court on misdemeanor charges, including disorderly conduct, possessing, repairing, or selling an offensive weapon, and criminal mischief involving property damage.

On May 6, 2024, The Pokémon Company International informed Owens that his application had been denied after reviewing the background check results.

The denial letter also reportedly said that, after the background check, his exam score was determined to be 80%, meaning he had not passed the test required for professor status.

What Owens is asking the court to do

Owens disputes the denial and argues that the stated reason for rejecting him changed. He also says the misdemeanor charges identified in the background check did not include guilty findings.

In addition to the $341,000 in damages, he is asking the court to order Nintendo of America and The Pokémon Company International to:

  • Grant him Pokémon Professor certification
  • Restore his access to official program tools
  • Allow him to host sanctioned Pokémon events

His broader argument is that the denial harmed more than his own standing in the program. Owens claims it also reduced competition and limited consumer access by removing a qualified Iowa-based event host from Pokémon’s official organized-play system.

Nintendo of America and The Pokémon Company International had not filed a response to the lawsuit, according to the reporting cited in the complaint.

Tags:
pokémon professor statusnintendo lawsuitthe pokémon company internationalplay! pokémon

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