Michael Jordan petitions China’s highest court in trademark case

Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Michael Jordan has reportedly asked China's highest court to hear a trademark dispute he is embroiled in against sports retailer Qiaodan Sports.

According to Reuters, the dispute concerns a trademark for the number '23' and the name Qiaodan, which is the Pinyin translation of Jordan.

The number 23 jersey was made famous by Jordan during his time playing for the NBA team Chicago Bulls.

Jordan registered trademarks covering the English version of his name in China in 1993, but he never registered the Chinese or Pinyin translation or the number 23.

Qiaodan registered trademarks in 1998 for ‘23’ and 'Qiaodan' and later for the Mandarin translation for Jordan in 2000.

Lawyers representing Jordan told Reuters that they would petition the Supreme People's Court to hear the case.

The court has not yet confirmed whether it will hear the case.

Neither Michael Jordan nor Qiaodan could be reached for comment.