Thousands of players have signed up since the augmented reality app launched in Australia three weeks ago, with players using their smartphones to find and catch Pokémon.

After another hugely popular weekend, Slater and Gordon lawyer Emma Aldersea urged players to remember their in-game actions could have very serious, real world consequences.

“It’s easy for people to be consumed by the excitement of new technology, but keep in mind that ‘I spotted a rare Pokémon’ is unlikely to be a lawful defence if you get into trouble in the real world,” Ms Aldersea explains.

“The biggest legal risk for Pokémon Go trainers is the temptation of trespass, especially when Pokéstops are located on private property, such as schools or in people’s yards.

“The penalties for trespass vary from state to state, but fines can run into the thousands and imprisonment terms can be up to one year – remember: there will always be another Zubat.

“Interestingly, owners can be held responsible if their animals stray onto private property, but I think Pokémon trainers can safely assume this does not apply to superimposed, digital pets,” she continues.

Ms Aldersea also warned non-Pokémon trainers to be cautious when asking trespassing players to leave their property, or they could end up on the wrong side of the law themselves.

“If someone enters your property without permission to catch Pokémon, you have the right to ask them to leave,” Ms Aldersea said.

“You can ask firmly, but it is a crime to threaten someone with violence, even if they are trespassing or threatening to set their Charizard on you.

“If they don’t leave, or you feel too intimidated to approach them, you should call the police, rather than taking matters into your own hands.”

Ms Aldersea said motorists could also be charged with serious criminal offences if they were caught training while driving.

“Using your phone while driving is against the law, so Pokémon activity behind the wheel is obviously illegal, but you could be facing more than just a fine or loss of demerit points,” Ms Aldersea said.

“If you make driving errors because you were engrossed in the game you could face charges such as careless or dangerous driving, which are offences that carry prison sentences.

“Additionally, if you are distracted at the moment of impact, a court could find you were partially or entirely at fault for a motor vehicle accident, which could reduce the amount of much-needed compensation you can claim if you are seriously injured, or could even exclude you from claiming certain types of compensation.

“The same principle applies for distracted pedestrians, cyclists who are not paying proper attention, and for people who might have otherwise had public liability claims, such as two players in the United States who reportedly missed safety warning signs and walked off a cliff while distracted by the game.”
Ms Aldersea said it was also a good idea for players to read the terms and conditions thoroughly to ensure they understood what they were agreeing to and also to double-check their consumer rights under Australian law.

“The Terms of Service for Pokémon Go appear to be quite strict, in particular, there’s an arbitration clause that attempts to waive some consumer rights to pursue legal action through the courts,” Ms Aldersea said.

“The developer also claims to have complete discretion to terminate a user’s account without warning in a range of circumstances, with no reimbursement of unspent money.

“However, it is questionable whether these terms would be effective under Australian law.

“Even though the developer is based overseas, the company could be considered to be conducting business in Australia due to the large number of Australian players and the fact the game is designed to be played in Australia.

“If a court found this to be the case, Australian players would be protected by Australian Consumer law, which might consider these terms to be unfair and unenforceable.

“But practical consideration must be given to the considerable time and expense involved in taking legal action against a foreign entity.”

*For further enquiries go to slatergordon.com.au