Nobody messes with the GOAT. Add another major victory to NBA legend and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, but this time on a different court. Finally, after three long years, Michael Jordan won his trademark case against a local Chinese sportswear firm. On Thursday, China's highest court ruled in favor of Michael Jordan, allowing the NBA legend the rights to the Chinese version of his name.
Michael Jordan sued Qiaodan (pronounced "Cheeow-dan) Sports back in 2012 for using the Chinese version of his name as well as his famous "23" jersey number without his permission. The Chinese characters of the name "Jordan" is read as "Qiaodan". The Fujian-based Qiaodan Sports used Michael Jordan's name and his famous number "23" to make it look like that Michael Jordan is associated with their brand.
In the lawsuit, Michael Jordan's lawyers argued that Qiaodan Sports had damaged his legal rights to his name and they also requested to remove its trademark registration. But in 2015, the Beijing Municipal High People's Court ruled in favor of Qiaodan Sports. The ruling prompted Michael Jordan's legal team to take the argument to a higher court, the Supreme People's Court. The high court ruled that Michael Jordan's Chinese name, "Qiaodan", is "well recognized" all over the country, therefore he should have the legal rights to his name.
In the verdict, the Supreme People's Court ordered Qiaodan Sports to give up its trademark registration of the name "Qiaodan". Qiaodan Sports, which operates more than 6,000 stores selling shoes and sports apparel all over China, had registered the trademark under which it was selling its own shoes and sports apparel. The Supreme People's Court's judgement was shown live on its own website.
In a statement released by the NBA legend, Michael Jordan said that he was always known as "Qiaodan" by millions of Chinese fans and consumers and that he was happy the court recognized his right to protect his name.
"I am happy that the Supreme People's Court has recognized the right to protect my name through its ruling in the trademark cases," Michael Jordan said in his statement. "Chinese consumers deserve to know that Qiaodan Sports and its products have no connection to me."
Michael Jordan is still waiting for a ruling from a Shanghai court on a separate lawsuit which he also filed against Qiaodan Sports back in 2012. The lawsuit is seeking legal damages.