Real-life Mario Kart hit with $458,000 blue shell from Nintendo

The Tokyo-based go-kart operator is still open for business.

Image via Nintendo

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Nintendo has been notorious in their pursuits to protect the integrity of its trademarks, that even non-profit fan projects have been shut down. Now, the Japanese game developer has successfully sued a go-karting company in Japan and has been award over $450,000 in damages.

The go-kart operator in question, Mari Mobility (now Street Kart), had been accused of infringing on the rights of Nintendo’s Mario Kart franchise through the name, which bore a resemblance to the franchise. At the same time, riders were also offered costumes for the ride that resembled the cast of Mario Kart.

Street Kart now presents this news on the front page of its website.

Thank you for your continuing support. We at Street Kart is providing our service as usual. Street Kart is fully complied through local governing laws in Japan.Street Kart is in no way a reflection of Nintendo, the game ‘Mario Kart’.(We do not provide rental of costumes of Mario Series.)
Street Kart

While there have been incidents involving the karts on Tokyo’s streets, the attraction has remained a popular activity for tourists visiting the city.

Nintendo initially won the lawsuit, and the operator was ordered to pay damages of 10 million yen ($92,000), but this was raised after a failed appeal from Mari Mobility to 50 million yen ($458,000) according to Inside-Games.

While this might seem harsh, Nintendo has frequently made it clear that any infringement on its IPs would see legal action be taken and so it can be argued that it was only a matter of time before they caught up to Mari Mobility.

For now, though, the kart operator is still open for business.