U.S. basketball legend Michael Jordan on Wednesday won a lawsuit in Shanghai, with a Chinese company ordered to make a formal apology and compensate for the unauthorized use of his name.
Qiaodan Sports Co. Ltd., a Chinese sportswear and shoe manufacturer, should compensate the plaintiff 300,000 yuan (about 46,000 U.S. dollars) for emotional distress and another 50,000 yuan for expenses incurred during the lawsuit, according to the ruling handed down by the Shanghai No.2 Intermediate People's Court in the first instance.
The plaintiff did not claim any economic losses for compensation in connection with the case.
"Qiaodan" is the Chinese translation of Jordan.
The court ordered the company to cease using the Chinese characters of "Qiao Dan" in its name and product trademarks. But for those trademarks older than five years, which cannot be revoked according to Chinese law, the company should take reasonable measures to clarify that these trademarks have no connection with the former U.S. basketball player Michael Jordan, said the court.
The company has also been ordered to make a formal apology in newspapers and online.
Other demands of the plaintiff were rejected by the court.
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