Michael Jordan Doesn't Own the Rights to His Name in China

Michael Jordan is suing a Chinese company using his name without permission.

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Complex Original

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Who's copping the Qiaodan 11s this weekend? Wait, what?

If you know Chinese, "Qiaodan" translates to Michael Jordan, the NBA's resident GAWD. Well, over in China, a company decided to name its business "Qiaodan Sports," which directly translates to "Michael Jordan Sports" in English. The company has been using his name for profit and has even sold the infamous No. 23 Jordan jersey without his consent.

Nothing happens without Jordan finding out, so MJ sued the company in 2013 for $183,000. House money for a man that has a net worth of $1 billion. Oddly enough, Jordan wanted to take the $183,000 and donate it to the growth of the sport in China. And after that, Qiaodan filed a counter-suit in the same year against Jordan for $8 million for damaging the company's reputation.

The Bejing Municipal High People's Court ruled against Jordan earlier in 2015, meaning the company can still use his name and sell his products without consent.

Shit just got real. Jordan and his lawyer team are taking this case to the highest courts in China, according to Reuters. Stay tuned to see how it turns out.

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[via Uproxx]

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