Nintendo allows players to hit the track in search of racing supremacy with its beloved Mario Kart titles, but the gaming giant is now taking legal action against a company in Japan that lets players live out their kart-racing dreams in real life.
The company has filed a lawsuit that alleges Tokyo-based go-karting service MariCar has been unfairly benefiting from the use of Nintendo's intellectual property. The company allows people to dress up in costumes of Super Mario characters and travel through city streets in karts, as you can see above.
A press release from Nintendo reads: "In this lawsuit, against the defendant company which provides rental services for public road carts, we have declared the mark 'MariCar,' which is an abbreviation of Mario Kart, widely known as the series of racing games that we manufacture and sell."
The suit also alleges that the company has violated Japan's Unfair Competition Prevention Act. You can watch a video of MariCar's service in action below.
The company has filed a lawsuit that alleges Tokyo-based go-karting service MariCar has been unfairly benefiting from the use of Nintendo's intellectual property. The company allows people to dress up in costumes of Super Mario characters and travel through city streets in karts, as you can see above.
A press release from Nintendo reads: "In this lawsuit, against the defendant company which provides rental services for public road carts, we have declared the mark 'MariCar,' which is an abbreviation of Mario Kart, widely known as the series of racing games that we manufacture and sell."
The suit also alleges that the company has violated Japan's Unfair Competition Prevention Act. You can watch a video of MariCar's service in action below.
