Jordan's name 'not distinctive or unique'
By Wang Qingchu |
March 1, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A COURT in Beijing has rejected a lawsuit filed by basketball legend Michael Jordan over the use of his Chinese name Qiaodan, saying the name is neither distinctive nor unique.
The court, in refusing to accept the case, ruled that the name was a common one which could refer to a number of people and didn't specifically refer to the NBA superstar, the Securities Times reported yesterday. The report said Jordan was now planning to take the case to a court in Shanghai, but gave no further details.
A spokesman for Jordan's legal team told Shanghai Daily yesterday that so far they hadn't received notice of the rejection.
Jordan had accused Fujian Province-based Qiaodan Sports Co Ltd of building its business around his Chinese name and jersey number.
The lawsuit claimed that the company had made more than 100 trademark applications related to Jordan's name and alleged the company's logo was a silhouette of the former Chicago Bulls star in action.
Registered trademark
The lawsuit claimed Qiaodan Sports "deliberately and aggressively" used his name without permission and misled customers into thinking he authorized its sportswear and footwear.
Earlier this week, Qiaodan Sports said it had registered "Qiaodan" as a trademark in China in June 2000.
Qiaodan Sports had invested several billion yuan in building the brand, the company said.
It added that the company had stated on several occasions that its products were not related to Jordan, emphasizing there was no cooperation between the sportswear producer and the basketball star.
Jordan said previously: "It is deeply disappointing to see a company build a business off my Chinese name without my permission, use the No. 23 and even attempt to use the names of my children."
Sales of Qiaodan Sports amounted to 2.9 billion yuan (US$461 million) in 2010 and it was approved last November for listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Jordan is considered one of the world's greatest basketball players.
He played 13 seasons for the Chicago Bulls and led the team to win six NBA Championship titles.
In 2010, he became owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
The court, in refusing to accept the case, ruled that the name was a common one which could refer to a number of people and didn't specifically refer to the NBA superstar, the Securities Times reported yesterday. The report said Jordan was now planning to take the case to a court in Shanghai, but gave no further details.
A spokesman for Jordan's legal team told Shanghai Daily yesterday that so far they hadn't received notice of the rejection.
Jordan had accused Fujian Province-based Qiaodan Sports Co Ltd of building its business around his Chinese name and jersey number.
The lawsuit claimed that the company had made more than 100 trademark applications related to Jordan's name and alleged the company's logo was a silhouette of the former Chicago Bulls star in action.
Registered trademark
The lawsuit claimed Qiaodan Sports "deliberately and aggressively" used his name without permission and misled customers into thinking he authorized its sportswear and footwear.
Earlier this week, Qiaodan Sports said it had registered "Qiaodan" as a trademark in China in June 2000.
Qiaodan Sports had invested several billion yuan in building the brand, the company said.
It added that the company had stated on several occasions that its products were not related to Jordan, emphasizing there was no cooperation between the sportswear producer and the basketball star.
Jordan said previously: "It is deeply disappointing to see a company build a business off my Chinese name without my permission, use the No. 23 and even attempt to use the names of my children."
Sales of Qiaodan Sports amounted to 2.9 billion yuan (US$461 million) in 2010 and it was approved last November for listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Jordan is considered one of the world's greatest basketball players.
He played 13 seasons for the Chicago Bulls and led the team to win six NBA Championship titles.
In 2010, he became owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
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