Nintendo has won a lawsuit it filed against a Tokyo-based tour company called MariCar. The Mario Kart-themed tour is exactly what you would think it is: people dressed as Mario characters in go karts taking you round Japan.
MariCar has been ordered to pay 10 million yen (approximately £68,000), and of course to cease its activities. Although, It isn’t the kart tour aspect of the business that has been banned, just the Mario-themed branding.
Nintendo released a statement on the legal victory, saying it would ‘continue to take necessary measures against infringement of intellectual property, including our brand.’
If you look on the MariCar English-language homepage, you’ll notice that while the page is still up and running, the pictures are no longer of Mario-dressed customers.
Strangely enough, it was Hugh Jackman, of all people, who might well have brought the MariCar tour to Nintendo’s attention, in 2017, when he tweeted the following:
Mari Mobility also released a statement saying that it would be reviewing the decision and would make a response later down the line.
We’re here waiting for the green light and ohhhhh ….. #mariokart #supermariobros pic.twitter.com/zyI2eHv9rp
— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) May 24, 2017
