In Japan, Nintendo has won an intellectual property infringement court case against go-kart operator Mari Mobility (the company formally named Maricar).
Mari Mobility was found guilty of infringing on Nintendo’s intellectual property. The go-karting company’s original name resembles Mario Kart, and it also has offered Nintendo-themed costumes for customers to wear.
“Unrelated to Nintendo,” was written on Mari Mobility’s karts. More recently, the company has rebranded its service as Street Kart, providing superhero-themed outfits. The official site reads:
We at Street Kart is providing our service as usual. Street Kart is fully complied [SIC] through local governing laws in Japan. Street Kart is in no way a reflection of Nintendo, the game ‘Mario Kart’. (We do not provide rental of costumes of Mario Series.)
The service has been a popular tourist attraction. There have, however, been incidents of tourists crashing these karts.
Nintendo was originally awarded 10 million yen ($136,281), but Mari Mobility unsuccessfully appealed, and according to Inside, the latest verdict has increased the amount to 50 million yen ($678,442).
In an official statement, Nintendo said it would continue to take steps against violation of the intellectual property and brands it has worked hard to establish over many years.
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