Patrick Johnson 
Remember the surprising news that Michael Jordan lost a lawsuit against Chinese athletic apparel company Qiaodan Sports? ‘Qiaodan’ literally translates out to Jordan and featured an And1-esque silhouette of an anonymous dribbling basketball player, and the brand produced a number of knockoffs that could be directly attributed to His Airness’s signature sneaker line. “Your name is your DNA, and when someone takes it, I think it’s a violation and you want to protect it.” Michael Jordan said at the time, but in mid-2015, a Beijing court dismissed the trademark case after three years of deliberation. Today, the Supreme People’s Court changed the ruling after initially claiming “Jordan is a common surname used by Americans.”
The landmark ruling means that Qiaodan Sports will have to give up its trademark registrations of the Chinese version of Michael Jordan’s last name. This matter took almost a half-decade to reach a final verdict, and it’s good to know that Michael Jordan will be able to retain exclusive rights to his name and his brand as the sneaker industry continues to grow and have a global impact. What do you think of the ruling? Stay tuned for more of the latest updates right here on Sneaker News and check out all of the coming Jordan Release Dates while you’re here.
Source: Footwear News
