The creator of Pokémon Go, Niantic, recently filed a lawsuit against an association of hackers called Global ++. The association allegedly distributes and makes hacked versions of their games.

 

Pokémon Go has had to deal with cheats from hackers since its launch in 2016. The game has gained a lot of popularity in smartphone gaming. Some players use certain tools to flout the rules of the game.

 

They sometimes automatically walk in circles to hatch the Pokémon eggs. Other times, they spot where the rare monsters are hiding, and tweak their GPS location to trick the game into thinking they changed their location.

 

Niantic is now filing a lawsuit against Global ++. It described them as an association of hackers that makes and distributed unauthorised versions of apps. Allegedly, they did this on another Niantic game called Ingress.

 

The apps created by Global ++ were called PokeGo++ and Ingress++. They give users an unfair advantage, which is an infringement on Niantic’s intellectual property rights.

 

Niantic names Ryan “ElliotRobot” Hunt as the leader of the group and principal developer of the apps. There is also an Alen “iOS n00b” Hundur, who promotes the apps on a YouTube channel. Some twenty other members of Global++ are also involved in the lawsuit.

 

Another injunction

The preliminary injunction in the lawsuit will require Global++ to immediately stop distributing the apps. They will also need to stop any work on the reverse engineering codes to the games. The lawsuit also alleges that Global++ has earned money by selling subscriptions to the hacked apps.

 

 

Niantic, also responsible for the upcoming game, “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite”, has moved an injunction.

 

They say, “Niantic files this motion on the eve of the United States launch of Harry Potter, the culmination of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment by Niantic, the success of which is threatened by defendants’ unlawful conduct.”

 

Global++ is apparently now working on a cracked version of upcoming “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” too. They call it the Potter++. The game is, however, not yet ready to launch. It is only just undergoing testing in Australia and New Zealand.