Besides being known for releasing high-quality games, Nintendo is infamous for aggressively protecting its trademarks. One of the latest targets of Nintendo’s legal team is a small grocery store in Costa Rica. The supermarket, called Super Mario, is owned by Don José Mario Alfaro González—Mario for short. Despite the shop being open for several years, the company decided to take legal action against him for daring to use that name for his business. Thankfully, the court ruled in favor of the Costa Rican shop owner.
The man recently posted an update about Super Mario Supermarket on its official Facebook page. He explained that he was well aware Super Mario is a globally recognized brand. Back in 2013, he registered his supermarket under the name Super Mario without any issues. Unfortunately, when he tried to renew his license last year, Nintendo finally took notice.
The owner said that Nintendo had trademarked the Super Mario name under various categories, including video games, clothing, collectibles, toys, and school supplies. However, groceries were not among them, which was the main reason the court ruled in his favor.
The owner of the Super Mario store said he had considered giving up. After all, going up against such a massive company rarely ends well for ordinary people. “But thankfully, Edgardo and I stood firm, and just a few days ago, we received the great news,” the owner said. “This is a huge step toward our vision, and the fact that such a massive company got fussy about us means we’re making an impact.”
Nintendo fans were very supportive when they heard the news. “A win for the little guy,” one Redditor commented. Although Nintendo games are popular worldwide, many people dislike the company’s strict approach to trademarks. Some fans even argued that the word super was simply a synonym for grocery stores and that Super Mario essentially meant Mario’s grocery store.
Many fans commented that Nintendo needs to relax its trademark enforcement. Some even joked that the company spends more time suing people than making new games. “Nintendo spends more time litigating against little people than they do making games and consoles,” another Redditor said. “It’s getting exhausting reading about it everywhere. Like, calm tf down Nintendo, Jesus Christ.”
