Unlicensed Real-World Mario Kart Company Loses Another Legal Battle With Nintendo

Nintendo has taken legal action against a company that offers go-kart tours of Tokyo while dressed up as Mario characters. Mari Mobility Development Co., formerly known as Maricar, has been ordered to pay over 50 million Yen (around $450,000 USD) to Nintendo for violating its intellectual property. As originally by Nikkei, the unlicensed Mario Kart company was originally sued by Nintendo in 2017 for infringing on its Mario IP and was fined 10 million Yen ($90,000 USD). After appealing the ruling and losing, Mari Mobility's fine was increased fivefold. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-super-mario-review-ever&captions=true"] Despite the hefty fine, the company still plans to offer go-kart tours of Tokyo, but will now simply be superhero themed. A quick look at its official website will show a warning, clearly stating that it is in "no way a reflection of Nintendo" and that it does "not provide rental of costumes of the Mario Series." Further, all images that include Mario branding have now been blurred out on the site. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/24/top-10-best-mario-games"] As reported by Kotaku, Nintendo has released an official statement saying, "We will continue to take necessary measures against infringement of intellectual property, including our brand, in order to protect our important intellectual property that we have built up over the years." If you're planning to visit Tokyo in the near future and would like to go on a superhero-themed go-kart tour, you can book a trip for around $100 USD. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.