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February 24, 2012

Michael Jordan Defends His Product Naming In China

Quick... what do Apple Inc. and Michael Jordan have in common?

Answer: they are both defending their trademarks in China.

Apple has been struggling with Chinese upstart Proview over the iPad name for a while now and two days ago, Jordan announced he was suing a Chinese sportswear maker called Qiaodan Sports for using his name without his permission.

The name of the company is taken from the Chinese version of Jordan's name and is obviously recognizable in China as such.

In addition, the products that Qiaodan makes bears a logo featuring what looks like a heavier Michael Jordan holding a ping pong paddle. The company even has what appears to be false Michael Jordan stores in China, and is now trying to raise money to be traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Jordan has said "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."

He goes on to say that "This complaint is not about money. It's about principle and protecting my name. Any monetary awards I might receive will be invested in growing the sport of basketball in China."

Qiaodan is one of China's top sportswear apparel makers by revenue and number of outlets, so to see such a high profile group blatantly trading off one of the world's biggest names is, to say the least, alarming.

Qiaodan has put up a petulant notice on its website saying, "The Qiaodan trademark is applied by our company in accordance with Chinese law. We therefore will enjoy an exclusive right to its use, which is protected by law."

We will continue to watch this example of brazen trademark violation with interest.

Technorati Tags: Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan Brand Naming, Trademark Dispute, China Trademark Infringement, Product Naming, Jordan Product Naming, Jordan Brand Name

Posted by William Lozito at February 24, 2012 8:03 AM
Posted to Media and Entertainment | Naming Rights | Trademarking

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