There are few game devs as fiercely protective of their intellectual property as Nintendo. Fan games, mods, knock-offs; every last one gets Nintendo’s big ol’ banhammer, even if they’re not making any money off Nintendo’s images. Such is the jagged-rocked rapids that is copyright law.
Nintendo has won a lawsuit against a go-karting company in Tokyo, Mari Mobility (MariCar for short). Started in February of last year, the lawsuit was regarding the company’s unlicensed use of Mario characters in their branding, as well as allowing patrons to dress up as them. With Nintendo’s victory, MariCar patrons are now forbidden from dressing up as Mario characters, and the company must pay Nintendo damages of approximately $86,000. If you visit MariCar in Tokyo, you can still dress up as other characters, though. Like Winnie the Pooh! And… Master Roshi? And, uh… a Minion. Hmm. Could patrons maybe bring their own Mario costumes? Please?
