Retired basketball player Michael Jordan has lost his lawsuit in Beijing High People's Court against Qiaodan Sportswear Co. for the trademark of his name, as well as other similar trademarks relating to his persona.
Since 2012, Jordan has been fighting Qiaodan Sportswear for the trademark to his name, as well as other trademarks like variations of his name, Chinese versions of his sons' names, and the number "23."
This began when Jordan petitioned the Trademark Appraisal Committee under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, demanding that Qiaodan Sportswear lose their rights to over 75 different trademarks relating to Jordan that they owned. The petition was rejected in 2014.
Jordan filed a lawsuit with Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, which ruled against him, forcing him to appeal to Beijing High People's Court.
Qiaodan Sportswear was registered in 2000. According to Jordan and his lawyers, "Qiaodan" is the Chinese equivalent of "Jordan" and has been what Chinese media has been calling him since 1984.
Jordan also cites Qiaodan's other trademarks, including "Jiefuli Qiaodan" and "Makusi Qiaodan," both of which sound similar to his sons' names "Jeffrey" and "Marcus." He also cites the similarity of the Qiaodan logo with the logo of Nike's Air Jordan brand.
On the other hand, Qiaodan claims that they chose the name to evoke "grass and trees of the south," claiming that 4,600 Chinese citizens share the name "Qiaodan," so it cannot belong exclusively to Michael Jordan.
In early April of 2013, Qiaodan even sued Michael Jordan for $8 million in compensation for misleading the public and preventing the company from pursuing an IPO.
Jordan's suit alleges that Qiaodan misled its customers into thinking he had authorized the use of his name.
When he first filed the suit, Jordan was only asking for $183,000 in compensation, which he planned to use to help develop basketball in China.