The Supreme People’s Court of China favored basketball superstar Michael Jordan on Thursday over a local sporstwear manufacturer, ending their four-year court battle over the use of the trademark “Qiaodan.”
“Qiaodan,” which is pronounced “Chee-ow-dahn,” is Jordan’s surname written in Chinese characters. In favoring the athlete, the court said that his Chinese family name is well recognized in the Asian giant. The court ordered Qiaodan Sports to give up the trademark, Fortune reported.
The company, a family-owned enterprise based in Fujian Province, had the trademark “Qiaodan” registered 10 years ago. However, Jordan filed a lawsuit against the company in 2012. They tried to settle the issue, but lower courts rejected a deal.
Qiaodan Sports has about 6,000 outlets across China that sell sportswear and shoes using the brand. With the court decision, the company is required to return the trademark of the Chinese characters to the Chinese State Administration for Industry and Commerce. But Jordan was not given the trademark right to “Qiaodan,” the Romanized version of his surname.
Jordan’s surname helps sell sportswear such as shoes and apparel made by Nike, a brand he endorses. His court victory apparently is a landmark decision since other western companies, such as Apple and Tesla, have lost in court battles in China over trademarks since China’s courts normally favor the company that registered the trademark first locally even if it copied the name from a known foreign brand.
Matthew Dresden, lawyer at Harris Moure, a law firm based in Seattle, said he wishes there would be more decisions like the one just made by the Supreme People’s Court to turn the legal battle over trademark in China is their favor. However, Dresden acknowledged the ruling is more of an anomaly than the norm, Bloomberg reported.