Dutch Authorities Take Pokémon Go Creators to Court Over Protected Beaches

Thousands of Pokémon Go players have swarmed beaches on a small coastal town in the Netherlands, prompting authorities to reach out to the game’s creators out of concern for the protected areas. Niantic Labs officials never responded, though, so the Hague is taking them to court.

As wind and waves batter the beaches, the Hague is worried the unprecedented swarms of visitors to the Pokestops in Kijkduin are damaging the sand dunes. Niantic Labs will respond to those concerns at a court date, set for Oct. 11, the Guardian reports.

“We had no other choice” the authorities said in a statement.

The municipality added that the specific aim of taking Niantic to court is “to ban these small virtual animals” in protected areas, as well as from the streets between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

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“Kijkduin will remain an attractive place for Pokémon hunters, but there will be less trouble for the residents and the damage to protected areas will be limited,” said the Hague in the statement.

[The Guardian]

Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com.