NBA legend Michael Jordan lost a trademark lawsuit against China shoe company Qiaodan Sports Co in a ruling released by the Beijing Higher People's Court this week, as per Shanghaiist.

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Qiaodan is said to be the "transliteration" of the Jordan surname in Chinese and it was also the name in which the basketball great is commonly referred to in China.

Considered as the Greatest Of All Time in the NBA, Jordan filed a complaint in a lower court in Beijing in 2012. He lost that case, which then forced him to file an appeal to the Supreme People's Court, a higher judiciary body, who recently ruled the indictment in favor of the Fujian shoe company once again.

"(The name) Jordan is not the only possible reference for 'Qiaodan' in the trademark under dispute," a transcript of the ruling said, as reported by Yahoo Sports. "In addition, 'Jordan' is a common surname used by Americans."

Qiaodan's product line carried an outline of a jumping basketballer that bears a resemblance to the "Jumpman" logo that Nike's Air Jordan sports goods are widely recognized for.

However, Beijing's high court claimed that because the logo utilized by Qiaodan is only a silhouette and does not display any specific face or person, it is lacking any proof that the player in the emblem is indeed Michael Jordan, thus there were no trademark infringements. The report added that it was actually "hard for consumers to identify it as Jordan."

Ultimately, the court resolved that there was not enough evidence to show that the trademark was referring to the Hall of Famer and so the case was closed.

Qiaodan filed an $8 million counter lawsuit against Jordan in 2013 for the detriment the said high-profile case did to the shoe company's brand and reputation. There is still no verdict with regards to the countersuit as of the moment, but it seems like one is going to be released soon.

Bleacher Report noted that Nike's Air Jordan shoe line earned more than $2 billion in the United States alone last year. Winning the China case would have given Jordan more profits from the massive Chinese market, but the local court have not been in favor of him pursuing his overseas business plans. 

TagsMichael Jordan, Michael Jordan news, Michael Jordan news 2015, Michael Jordan rumors, Michael Jordan rumors 2015, Qiaodan, Qiaodan Sports Co