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Basketball star takes dispute to top court
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BASKETBALL star Michael Jordan is to take a trademark dispute with a Chinese sports firm to China’s supreme court, his lawyers said yesterday, escalating one of several cases accusing domestic firms of illegally imitating global brands.
The former Chicago Bulls player sued Qiaodan Sports in 2012, claiming that the sportswear firm in southeast China’s Fujian Province had built its business around his Chinese name and his jersey number “23” without his permission.
Earlier this year, a court ruled in favor of Qiaodan in the dispute, and the ruling was recently upheld by the Beijing Higher People’s Court, an official at the Chinese firm and Jordan’s legal representatives told reporters.
Jordan will now take the case to China’s top court, a spokesman for Jordan’s legal team said in an e-mailed statement.
“In light of the trademark dispute ruling, we intend to appeal to the Supreme People’s Court for retrial,” the statement said.
It added that a separate case with Qiaodan Sports over naming rights was still ongoing.
Jordan is known as “Qiaodan” in basketball-mad China, which also has a homegrown superstar in former Houston Rockets player Yao Ming.
Asked about the latest ruling, Ren Juan, a member of Qiaodan Sports’ legal department, said: “Qiaodan Sports will respect the judgment of the court.” She declined to comment further.
The Beijing court could not be reached for comment.
In 2013, Xinhua news agency said Qiaodan Sports had sued Michael Jordan for damaging its reputation and demanded US$8 million in compensation.
Jordan’s case is one of several involving foreign firms facing trademark tangles in China.
Apple Inc paid US$60 million in 2012 to settle a case over its iPad trademark, and last month an affiliate of US shoemaker New Balance lost a trademark case against a domestic firm.
Jordan, who has a net worth of US$1 billion according to Forbes, is the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team and has a lucrative endorsement contract with Nike Inc, which makes Air Jordan shoes
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