The objection filed by Nintendo over trademark issues against MariCar was dismissed by the Japan Patent Office on Thursday, March 9.
Nintendo previously issued a press release concerning its right against intellectual property infringement. The company sued MariCar for infringing its intellectual property on the ground that the go-kart rental company is engaged with a Mario-inspired business.
MariCar allows people to drive on the streets of Tokyo while wearing "Super Mario" costumes, like Luigi, Yoshi, and of course, Mario. Although go-kart driving is not new, the combination of driving in the roads while dressed up as a "Super Mario" character is quite peculiar. The tactic utilized by MariCar is appealing to the visitors of Japan.
Moreover, it claimed that the name of the company MariCar was a part of "Mario Kart" and the branding and apparel of the game are used by the company for advertising purposes without permission from Nintendo.
The lawsuit which has been previously filed by Nintendo alleging that the entire business of MariCar is based off Nintendo products and that the latter did not get permission to use their products is not granted.
TripAdvisor is opined that people really love MariCar given its perfect 5 star rating as well as over 400 reviews. No doubt, it has been extremely popular in the city. Its office also contains plenty of unlicensed Nintendo imagery.
According to a previous report in The Verge, MariCar is not the only business that is engaged in a similar go-karting experience. Akibakart also exists in the city and riders are also dressed in Nintendo costumes, but the company has not yet commenced any complaints against it.