“BEIJING—Basketball star Michael Jordan sued a Chinese sportswear chain, saying it improperly uses the Chinese pronunciation of his name—the latest dispute over intellectual property in China.
Qiaodan Sports Company Ltd. has been profiting by illegally using “Qiaodan,” the Chinese version of his name, on its marketing materials and products since the 1980s, Mr. Jordan said in a prepared statement Thursday. Qiaodan is pronounced roughly as cheow-DEN. The suit, filed in China, also says Qiaodan Sports has improperly used his jersey number, 23.
Qiaodan Sports, based in the coastal province of Fujian, sells athlete-branded basketball shoes and jerseys in its 5,715 retail outlets in China and is preparing to raise 1.1 billion yuan ($175 million) in a public listing in Shanghai.
The company said it has the exclusive right to the Qiaodan trademark and is operating “in accordance with Chinese laws.” A Qiaodan Sports spokesman declined further comment.
“I feel the need to protect my name, my identity, and the Chinese consumers,” Mr. Jordan said in a video on a website devoted to his claims against Qiaodan Sports. “It’s not about the money. It’s about principle—protecting my identity and my name,” he said. Any damage award would be invested in promoting basketball in China, he said….”
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