Unofficial Mario Kart go-kart firm ordered to pay Nintendo $460K

A Japanese court has ruled that go-kart firm Mari Mobility Development Inc must pay 50 million yen ($458,000) to Nintendo after infringing on the video game maker’s IP rights.

In 2018, the Tokyo District Court ordered Mari Mobility to pay Nintendo 10 million yen for operating go-kart tours on public roads featuring Nintendo-themed outfits.

But the damages award was raised fivefold by the Intellectual Property High Court on Wednesday, according to Jiji Press.

Judge Yoshiyuki Mori said Mari Mobility had intentionally made unauthorised use of Nintendo’s IP to attract customers, mostly tourists.

The court also ordered the firm to stop using ‘Maricar’ and other words or marks related to Nintendo’s racing series on its vehicles and in promotional materials.

Commenting on the ruling, Nintendo said it will continue to take the necessary measures to protect its brands against IP infringement.

The latest home console entry in its long-running racing series, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, had sold over 19 million copies as of September 2019, while the franchise’s mobile debut, September 2019 release Mario Kart Tour, was reportedly downloaded over 120 million times during its launch month.

Nintendo recently won a separate patent infringement dispute related to motion sensing technology in the Wii Remote controller.