Just when it seemed like the legal saga between Nike and infamous Chinese imitator Qiaodan Sportswear Co. had cooled off, the back-and-forth continues with a new countersuit from the knockoff brand.
The Epoch Times reports that Qiaodan countersued Nike on March 8, claiming that the American sportswear brand had used the Qiaodan name in promotional materials on its website. However, Nike argues that the phrase "Qiaodan" was only present as a keyword on the backend of its China e-commerce site and could not be seen by the public.
Legal drama between Nike and the knock-off brand dates back to 2012, when Michael Jordan himself filed suit against Qiaodan. The complicated case came to an apparent resolution in 2016, when China's Supreme People's Court ruled in Jordan's favor. However, Qiaodan refused to back down, and attempted to sue Jordan again in 2017 over similar claims.
This time around, Qiaodan is seeking a public apology and compensation of around $50,000.
