China's top court has handed basketball legend Michael Jordan a victory in a long-running trademark dispute over the use of his name by a Chinese company.
"Nothing is more important than protecting your own name, and today's decision shows the importance of that principle," Jordan said in a statement after the ruling. Here's more from Jordan:
"Over the past three decades, I have built my reputation and name into a globally recognized brand. From my earliest playing days in the NBA, through my trip to China last fall, millions of Chinese fans and consumers have always known me by my Chinese name, 'Qiaodan.' Today's decision ensures that my Chinese fans and all Chinese consumers know that Qiaodan Sports and its products have no connection to me."
The ruling by Supreme People's Court overturns a previous ruling from a lower court that favored Qiaodan Sports Co., which makes sportswear and shoes and had registered the name as its trademark. The company has no relationship to the Nike Air Jordan brand.
Jordan is widely known as Qiaodan in China, and he initially filed a lawsuit against the company in 2012.
The court "approved Jordan's appeal that the trademark of his name's translation in Chinese characters infringed on his right to own his name and violated the country's trademark law,".
This company is not subtle; it also used "Jordan's old jersey number 23, basketball player logo and even names of his children." The company does hundreds of millions of dollars of business annually, with some 6,000 locations in China.
China's top court has handed basketball legend Michael Jordan a victory in a long-running trademark dispute over the use of his name by a Chinese company.
