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本帖最后由 lilyma06 于 2012-2-28 10:45 编辑
Knocking Off Michael Jordan By MARK MCDONALD
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/knocking-off-michael-jordan/
HONG KONG — Michael Jordan has filed suit in China against a Chinese company that he says is illegally using his name, number and likeness to market its own lines of athletic shoes and sportswear.
Chuck Burton/Associated PressMichael Jordan, the former N.B.A. star, watched the Charlotte Bobcats play earlier this month. He is the majority owner of the team.
In China, Mr. Jordan’s surname is Qiaodan. The company he is suing is Qiaodan Sports, located in Fujian Province, in eastern China.
A statement on Mr. Jordan’s Web site said: “The Chinese company has registered and uses the name ‘Qiaodan’ (乔丹), which is the moniker Michael Jordan has been known by in China since he gained widespread popularity in the mid-1980s.’’
In China, knockoff or pirated goods are called shanzhai (山寨), a term that was originally applied to fake cell phones. Nicholas Schmidle explored the athletic-shoe shanzhai phenomenonin The New York Times Magazine.
“When you have your name, it’s your DNA,’’ Mr. Jordan said in a statement. “Whenever someone takes it, it’s a violation.’’
Mr. Jordan, the former N.B.A. star who now is majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, has long had a line of Nike shoes called Air Jordans. He is known to make tens of millions of dollars each year through endorsement deals with Nike, Hanes, Gatorade, McDonald’s and others.
As an indication of the huge financial implications in Mr. Jordan’s marketing ambitions (and potential losses) in the basketball-crazy Chinese market, his legal team has built a Web site to make his case in the lawsuit. It offers examples of Jordan signature shoes and clothing alongside knockoff models from Qiaodan.
Miachel Jordan sues China’s Qiaodan over name use. I would argue Qiaodan has become its own brand with limited relation to MJ.
— TXCapBeijing (@TXCapBeijing) February 23, 2012
There was no immediate indication of the amount of damages Mr. Jordan is seeking.
“This is not about money,” he said. “It’s about principle.”
“It is deeply disappointing to see a company build a business off my Chinese name without my permission, use the number 23 and even attempt to use the names of my children,’’ Mr. Jordan said. “I am taking this action to preserve ownership of my name and my brand.’’
Messages left by Rendezvous with Qiaodon Sports were not immediately returned.
The company’s Web site makes no specific mention of Michael Jordan, although it says, “As a franchise shop, we mainly sell Jordan shoes. Welcome all the customers!’’
A Qiaodan Sports spokesman toldReuters that he did not have legal details of the case. The company has reportedly become a supplier for the Olympic teams from Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Earlier this month, a federal court in Chicago ruled against Mr. Jordan in his lawsuit against the Jewel-Osco supermarket chain. He had alleged that the company had used shoes bearing the number 23 in an ad layout in 2009 in a special edition of Sports Illustrated.
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