French Mayor Bans Pokemon Figures In His Village Near Lyon

PARIS (AP) — A French mayor has banned the virtual presence of Pokemon Go characters in his whole eastern village citing security reasons and ordered the game's creator to comply with the decree.

Bressolles Mayor Fabrice Beauvois said Tuesday that he mailed his decree to California-based Niantic Inc. and The Pokemon Company to make sure they stop setting up Pokemons in the village of about 800 inhabitants northeast of Lyon.

Beauvois insisted in a phone interview with The Associated Press that his order, issued last week, is only targeting companies, not the players. He said that Bressolles is the first French municipality to issue such a decree.

The mayor denounced the "random and anarchical settlement" of Pokemon characters on the territory of his village without Niantic asking for prior authorization.