Nintendo may have put an end to Tokyo's real-life 'Mario Kart' tours

Chances are you've probably glimpsed or partaken in Japan's "real-life" Mario Kart. The rent-a-kart service finds locals and tourists dressing up as Mario, Peach, and Luigi and driving around the busy Tokyo streets. What's not to like? Well, turns out Nintendo itself was never a fan. Last year, the gaming giant sued the company behind the service, Marika Co., for copyright infringement. Now, a fresh ruling could derail the entire attraction.

Tokyo's District Court has sided with Nintendo by ordering Marika Co. to cease renting out costumes and to pay an as-yet undetermined fine. It seemed like things might go the other way after Japan's Patent Office rebuffed Nintendo's argument that Marika is in fact short for Mario Kart. But this latest decision upturns that 2017 ruling by acknowledging Nintendo's ownership of the abbreviation.

It's really no surprise that Nintendo pursued legal action against the firm, considering how protective it is of its IP. It also plans to introduce its own real-life Mario Kart attraction at its upcoming Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios -- and has brought the game to VR, complete with physical vehicles. Meanwhile, the rent-a-kart service itself has suffered its fair share of controversies, including two high-profile crashes, which did little for its standing among local law enforcement.

Source: Nintendo Japan



via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2zyGWSD
RSS Feed

If New feed item from http://www.engadget.com/rss-full.xml, then send me


Unsubscribe from these notifications or sign in to manage your Email Applets.

IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evernote cuts staff as user growth stalls

Image
Note-taking app Evernote has fallen on hard times of late, culminating in its latest spate of job cuts impacting 15 percent of its workforce (54 employees). CEO Chris O' Neil -- an ex-Googler who took the reins in 2015 -- announced the firings at an all-hands meeting earlier today, reports TechCrunch . In a message on the Evernote blog , O' Neill admitted he'd set "incredibly aggressive goals" for the company in 2018. He continued: "Going forward, we are streamlining certain functions, like sales, so we can continue to speed up and scale others, like product development and engineering." The layoffs follow an exec exodus just weeks ago and the company's recent brand refresh (complete with a refined logo and wordmark). But critics are more concerned about its product, especially the free tier, which they claim lacks the perks to...
Read more

The best air conditioner

Image
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After six summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. This 8,000 Btu unit cools as efficiently and effectively as any model with an equal Btu rating, and runs at a lower volume and deeper pitch than others at this price. Little extra features like a fresh-air vent, two-axis fan blades, and a removable drain plug help set it apart, too. The LG LW8016ER is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too. If our main pic...
Read more

We won't see a 'universal' vape oil cartridge anytime soon

Image
Pre-loaded cartridges of cannabis concentrate are currently among the most popular means of consumption, and for good reason. They're discreet to use and easy to handle, a far cry from the dark days of 2016 when we had to dribble hash oil or load wax into narrow-mouthed vape pens by hand. But, frustratingly, an ever increasing number of oil cartridge manufacturers employ one-off design standards so that their products won't work with those of their competitors, thereby locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. We've already seen this with nicotine vaporizers -- which has a seen a massive rise in "pod systems" in the last few years, each outfitted with a unique canister and battery built to be incompatible with those of their competition. Is it too late for the burgeoning cannabis industry to set a universal standard for their product designs? ...
Read more