The final projectile was launched in the long legal battle, and it was blue.
On December 25, Judge Katsuyuki Kizawa of the Japan Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Mari Mobility Development Inc. regarding the popular tourist attraction formerly known as MariCar. As a result, his three-year legal battle with Nintendo ended in favor of the video game giant.
The cause of the lawsuit is probably obvious, even without knowing the background, as the service that allows people to drive go-karts through the streets of Tokyo and Osaka is just a few letters from the successful Mario Kart racing game series. To make matters worse, MariCar once allowed customers to wear Nintendo-themed costumes while driving for an experience similar to the game.
In 2017, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against MariCar for the first time for fear that accidents that occurred during karting trips could damage the Mario Kart brand. In fact, since the filing, a cyclist and a building have been hit by go-karts in separate incidents.
In September 2018, the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of Nintendo and ordered MariCar to stop renting Nintendo-themed clothing and pay 10 million yen ($ 97,000) in compensation. However, they were able to keep their name and distance themselves from games by sticking to their “non-Nintendo” carts in English and Japanese.
Both companies were dissatisfied with the result and filed appeals, and in January 2020, the Superior Intellectual Property Court also sided with Nintendo and increased its remuneration to 50 million yen ($ 483,000) and ordered the use of the name “MariCar” to stop.
The company, which has since been renamed “Street Kart”, appealed, but by now the damage was done and, with COVID-19 quickly closing the entrance to the tourists that made up its main clientele, things looked bleak.
▼ Street Kart caters especially to visitors from other countries.
A crowdfunding attempt was made this summer, but probably because knowledge of the “MariCar” brand had disappeared, it didn’t work.
Netizens in Japan, who saw this as an open and closed case from the beginning, were surprised by what was still going on, but overwhelmingly agreed with the verdicts.
“That’s how it works.”
“Hasn’t that been resolved yet?”
“On second thought, I haven’t seen any go-karts in Tokyo since Corona. But now we have to deal with the Uber Eats people. “
“Sorry, but I can’t find any sympathy for MariCar. Do business right or be devastated ”.
“Even without the process, I don’t think I would survive COVID-19.”
“Finally, some good news!”
“They chose the wrong company to work with.”
“Anyone who loses can still take a look at the USJ tour.”
“Okay, now let’s talk about how Mario is a copy of Mickey. Look at the pants and gloves and listen to how the two speak. Come on guys!!!”
Huh … I never realized that before, but there are a lot of similarities between Mario and Mickey. Both have five-letter names beginning with “M” and their jaws are surprisingly similar. Sure, he didn’t start out looking like that, but he certainly seems to be getting more Mickeyfied over the years.
▼ Look, I’m just asking questions here….
However, for now, the Street Kart sites are still active, which means they can still try to resist and regain the success of the past. However, with Nintendo’s issue finally resolved, its future now appears to be mainly in the hands of a global pandemic.
Source: NHK News Web, Hachima Kiko, Street Kart, Mari Mobility Inc
Photos: © SoraNews24
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