Nintendo news (Feb. 24): Mario Sports Superstars (Tennis) / MariCar lawsuit
Today’s Nintendo news: latest trailer for Mario Sports Superstars, but also…
- MariCar lawsuit
Mario Sports Superstars
Here’s the latest trailer for Mario Sports Superstars, showcasing the 5th and final sport… tennis!
Mario Sports Superstars (3DS) comes out on March 10th in Europe, March 24th in North America, and March 30th in Japan.
MariCar lawsuit
In the past few years, you’ve probably seen pictures of Mario fans “racing” onboard karts in the very streets of Tokyo in Japan, amid the cars, trucks, and buses. If you thought those were just gatherings of fans, you were wrong… it’s an actual business, and a business Nintendo isn’t really happy with.
Today, Nintendo sent a press release to announce they were suing MariCar Co. Ltd, the company operation those “real-life Mario Kart” tours, and are seeking for unfair competition and copyright infringement. The thing is, MariCar never got a licence for their business, and the use of the Mario IP.
Because it’s not just the name that’s similar: the company also rents costumes along with the karts. They’re actually using the Mario IP for promotion, and that’s something Nintendo really isn’t happy about. After all, they’re already cracking down on non-commercial fan projects, so when money is involved, it’s no wonder it ended up in a lawsuit.
Source: Nintendo
