Michael Jordan’s lawsuit against a Chinese footwear brand accused of ripping off his Jordan brand has been dismissed by a Beijing court. The subject of the lawsuit is Fujian-based shoe manufacturer Qiaodan Sports Co., which is named after the Chinese pronunciation of “Jordan.”
Qiaodan’s logo is also a variation of the Jordan Jumpman logo used in the Air Jordan product range. After his 2012 lawsuit was rejected by a lower court in Beijing, Jordan brought his case to the Beijing Higher People’s Court, which also ruled against him, citing that the name Qiaodan does not necessarily refer to “Jordan,” and the surname Jordan is common in the U.S.
Also, the court decided that, since the Qiaodan logo lacks facial features, consumers would not easily confuse it with the Jumpman logo. Clearly, this is a big step backwards for the Chinese government in fighting counterfeit products — a problem which will continue to affect the international footwear industry.
