Recently, the federal district court has officially dismissed all claims in the lawsuit filed by 34-year-old Kyle Lee Owens of Iowa, USA, against Nintendo and The Pokémon Company International.
In reality, the title of Pokémon Professor is not a fictional rank from the games, but an official volunteer certification within the Play! Pokémon tournament system. Those who obtain this qualification can serve as card game judges, organize official offline events, and unlock official tools and exclusive benefits. The application process includes two hurdles: a qualification exam and a mandatory background check.
Owens had previously passed the program's qualification exam with a perfect score. However, a subsequent background check revealed that he failed to appear in court on time for misdemeanor charges including criminal mischief and disturbing the peace in 2022, resulting in an arrest warrant issued by another state. The Pokémon Company used this as grounds to deny his certification.
Two years after his application was rejected, Owens filed a federal lawsuit in May 2026, citing antitrust laws. He demanded that the court force the granting of his "Pokémon Professor" status, restore his access to official tools, and sought $341,000 in punitive damages, arguing that the official refusal to certify him constituted monopolistic behavior that harmed his right to host Pokémon tournaments.
Judge Leonard Strand, who presided over the case, criticized the lawsuit in his ruling as "full of doubts, if not utterly absurd," and a complete waste of court time and public resources. The judge pointed out that the background check is a mandatory requirement for the certification program, and since Owens failed to pass it, the officials had the right to reject his application.
The court also dismissed three other unrelated lawsuits filed by Owens. The judge warned the man that he would face fines from the court if he continued to file such baseless and frivolous lawsuits in the future.