Michael Jordan Now Better at Chinese Lawsuits Than Baseball

A Chinese sportswear company had been using the characters for his name
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 8, 2016 12:47 PM CST
Michael Jordan Wins Chinese Trademark Case
China's highest court ruled Thursday in favor of Michael Jordan at the conclusion of a years-long trademark case.   (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Crying Jordan, no more. The BBC reports basketball legend and internet meme Michael Jordan has won a lawsuit against a Chinese sportswear company capitalizing on his name. The Chinese characters for Jordan's name are read "Qiaodan," and Qiaodan Sports has been using them for a decade, along with his "23" jersey number, according to Reuters. Jordan first took Qiaodan Sports to court in 2012, and the People's Supreme Court of China ruled in his favor this week. "Chinese consumers deserve to know that Qiaodan Sports and its products have no connection to me," Jordan says in a statement. It's rare for foreign brands to win these kinds of cases in China, and in fact Jordan's victory is not a complete one: Qiaodan Sports can no longer use the Chinese characters for his name but can continue to use the Romanized spelling "Qiaodan." (More Michael Jordan stories.)

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