Chinese Construction Ad Features Builder Mario Without Permission

The scourge of Chinese copyright infringement has struck once again – and this time, the world of Super Mario Maker isn’t safe.

Several netizens have spotted what appears to be a construction materials advert on some buses in China, featuring none other than Builder Mario himself! Of course, there doesn’t seem to be any official Nintendo trademark or logo anywhere on the ad – a dead giveaway that it’s using Mario’s likeness illegally. The block that Mario is holding looks fairly lo-fi too, with a golden coin poorly photoshopped on top.

It’s not clear where this bus (or the ads) are actually located, although it’s probably 99% within mainland China. A rough translation gives us “selling building materials to Daxi City” – so make of that what you will.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this ad is that it actually keeps so much of Mario’s likeness intact. Normally, we would expect the ‘M’ on his hard hat to be replaced, or his overalls being pink instead. Maybe the ad’s designers were just lazy, this time.

In any case, what do you think of this blatant infringement of Nintendo’s intellectual property? Will they get away with it for long, or will Nintendo somehow bring down the copyright hammer someday? Let us hear your thoughts below!