Topic: Who owns the rights to King K Rool and the Kremlings?

I know this might be a simple answer but what I am looking for is some kind of proof. Yes I know they appeared in some Wii games like Mario Super Sluggers but I thought I read somewhere that Microsoft owns them which is why they aren't in DKCR or DKC:TF. Also I thought that Rare said that they originally created the Kremlings and King K Rool for another game, most thinking Battletoads but at the last moment put them into DKC so from my understanding that would make them Microsoft property since all of Rare's assets are now MS. Or maybe they are owned jointly by Nintendo and MS and one can't use them without the ok from the other?

Anyway I am just wondering if there is something out there that says who owns the rights.

I asked this same thing over at Nintendolife but all the fanboys over there just tell me Nintendo without proof which I expected as much so I am asking her in hopes of a more unbiased answer.

Nintendo.

They are Donkey Kong characters. They have continued to show up in Donkey Kong games. Nintendo owns Donkey Kong. Microsoft does not own Donkey Kong characters lol

I think I too read somewhere that they were created for Battletoads and then used in DKC, but even if that was the case, they would still be owned by Nintendo.

Haven't got any proof to give you, but I'd pretty much be 100% confident to say that they'd be Nintendo's property.