Michael Jordan Wins Trademark Lawsuit Appeal Against China's Qiaodan Sports

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Charlotte Hornets principal owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan won a trademark lawsuit against Chinese sports brand Qiaodan Sports in China's Supreme Court on Thursday, per Agence France-Presse. 

The ruling ends an eight-year legal dispute between Jordan and Qiaodan.

The AFP provided more details:

"The landmark ruling, made late last month, prohibits the Fujian-based Qiaodan Sports from using the Chinese translation of Jordan's name, Qiao Dan...

"The Supreme Court decision overturns two previous verdicts in favour of the Chinese firm.

"However, it still allows the firm to continue using its logo of a silhouetted basketball player -- which has similarities with the 'Jumpman' logo used by Nike to promote its 'Air Jordan' line of sports shoes."

Per the AFP, Jordan also won another legal battle versus Qiaodan in 2016, when he earned the trademark to his name written in Chinese characters.

However, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Qiaodan to use its name in Romanized English.

The news comes three years after New Balance won a $1.5 million lawsuit against three Chinese shoemakers for using the sportswear company's slanted "N" logo in 2017, per Pei Li of Reuters.

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That ruling came shortly after President Xi Jinping said there would be increased scrutiny and punishment for intellectual property claims.

Per BBC News, that was believed to be the highest financial reward given to a foreign company for a trademark argument.