Nintendo Co. filed a lawsuit Friday against Tokyo-based go-kart service MariCar for alleged copyright violations.

In the suit, filed with the Tokyo District Court, Nintendo claims MariCar is renting unauthorized costumes of Nintendo game characters such as Super Mario to its customers and using pictures of them to promote its business.

To do so without permission from Nintendo constitutes a copyright violation and an act of unfair competition, the Kyoto-based video game giant said in a statement.

"In order to protect our intellectual properties that we have created based on many years of efforts, we are committed to take firm measures," Nintendo said in a statement.

Nintendo also alleges that MariCar is an abbreviation of "Mario Kart," one of its blockbuster game titles.

Nintendo is seeking ¥10 million in damages from the company and an end to the alleged copyright infringement.

MariCar rents out go-karts that have been modified to run on public roads.

A Nintendo spokesperson said it had issued warnings to MariCar over the past several months but saw no response.