I can't answer that, but my above point is the premise of the linked article. Nintendo is reaching disney-level reliance on their cartoon hero, (probably worse

I can't answer that, but my above point is the premise of the linked article. Nintendo is reaching disney-level reliance on their cartoon hero, (probably worse) so I wouldn't be surprised to see them becoming another copyright-extending villain over the coming decades as they struggle to survive with their seeming lack of creativity.