If you recognize this rounded square as looking like an app icon, you're right, and if you recognize the picture within in it to be copyrighted Nintendo character, you're also right. Don't get too excited though. Aside from being very unofficial and still selling really well, the app itself is garbage, holding less than one and a half star user rating yesterday with purchasers claiming the controls are garbagey and the art being flat out bad.

So what's my big take away from this? Well, Apple has proved in the past that people using other people's IP on the App Store is none of their concern after they pull it, and while the incidents in the past have been relatively minor, like Lugaru HD or League of Evil, seeing an industry icon like Mario appear on the App Store without Nintendo's permission shows us just how blatant a rip-off can be, and yet still (temporarily) be sold in the vetted iOS marketplace.

Anyway, in the spirit of discussion, does anyone think Apple should be held accountable for slips like this? If they're grooming all of the incoming Apps for things that don't meet iOS spec, shouldn't they also be able to avoid whatever the hell this is, if not in the spirit of decency, than at least in the spirit of corporate goodwill? I mean, whoever vetted this game had to know full well that this was a classic video game character. The official App Store blurb even mentions his name as being Monino, and having an enemy named Bowler.

Short version: A Chinese Mario knock-off has made it to about twentieth place in the App Store. Because of course it has.

That's right, Monino.