philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Game Maker Sues Milwaukee Over Permit Requirement To Make Augmented Reality Games

One of the great stories in unintentional consequences in technology in the past few years has been Pokemon Go. The augmented reality game application has resulted in all kinds of legal action and consequences, including New York declaring playing it to be a sex offender parole violation, lawsuits stemming from players of the game wandering onto private property and annoying the residents there, and even the DOD releasing guidelines for safe Pokemon hunting.

What Milwaukee did in the wake of this legal activity made less of a media splash, but that appears to be changing. The Midwest city decided to add a city ordinance requiring a permit from any augmented reality game makers that made use of public parks.

Virtual and location-based augmented reality games are not permitted in Milwaukee County Parks except in those areas designated with a permit for such use by the Director of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Culture. Permits shall be required before any company may introduce a location-based augmented reality game into the Parks, effective January 1, 2017.

Candy Lab AR, makers of the augmented reality app Texas Rope 'Em, when it sued Milwaukee.

See the full (biased) story here: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170421/14432337211/game-maker-sues-milwaukee-over-permit-requirement-to-make-augmented-reality-games.shtml