Michael Jordan has filed a lawsuit against Chinese apparel company Qiaodan Sports copyright infringement. The lawsuit revolves around the business using the ?well-known? Chinese translation of his name, which is Qiaodan, to build their brand without his permission. In 2010, Qiaodan generated more than $450 million worth of revenue.
Through his personal site and a promotional video, Michael Jordan has addressed the reasoning for the case, the key facts, and what his name means to him and his brand. The site states that the key reason for filing the complaint is ?to preserve ownership of his name and protect Chinese consumers from being misled” on the merit that Michael Jordan “is well known in China as Qiaodan.? The site supports this claim by stating that thousands of media reports ranging from the Economic Daily to the China Sports Daily have consistently referred to Jordan as Qiaodan dating all the way back to the 1980s. In regard to Qiaodan Sports infringing on Michael Jordan’s rights by illegally using his name on their products, it’s stated that Jordan has never authorized the use of his name to the brand, though the company has registered numerous trademarks that include his name, and have also actively filed for over 100 similar trademarks that include references to his jersey number and son?s names, Jeffrey and Marcus.
Michael Jordan and has official site have made it clear that this lawsuit is a step taken to preserve his name in China and protect the Chinese people from being misled.
Source: CBS Sports
