For years if you go to Tokyo, Japan, you will have the opportunity to dress up like popular Mario-themed characters and drive racing karts throughout the city. On first glance it looks like Mario Kart, but upon closer inspection it’s actually known as MariCar. It’s actually been amazing how long the company has been getting away with it, but unfortunately it has come to an end.
Over in Japan, the Tokyo District Court has ruled against MariCar in lawsuit filed by Nintendo, where they have since been ordered to stop lending out Nintendo-themed costumes, as well as pay 10 million yen in damages, according to a tweet by The Wall Street Journal’s reporter Takashi Mochizuki.
Tokyo District Court ordered Mari Mobility Dev., previously MariCar, to pay ¥10 million in compensation and stop using Nintendo-related outfit. The street go-cart company operates services in Japan, and Nintendo was complaining it was damaging its "Mario Kart" franchise.
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) September 27, 2018
Nintendo had previously complained how MariCar was “damaging” its Mario Kart franchise, although if anything we’re sure many feel that it actually brings more attention to the franchise rather than detract for it, but then again it is Nintendo’s intellectual property and it makes sense that they are trying to defend it.
It is unclear what MariCar plans to do now that they will no longer be able to market themselves as a Mario Kart alternative, so we’ll just have to wait and see. That being said, even if you can’t dress up like Mario, Yoshi, or Peach, zipping down the streets of Tokyo in a racing kart still does sound like a pretty fun thing to do.
Filed in . Read more about Japan, Legal, Mario Kart and Nintendo.