Nike wins counterfeiting case against French supermarket

The Shanghai Second Intermediate People's Court has ordered two Chinese shoe makers and French supermarket group Auchan to pay Nike Rmb350,000 ($46,000) in damages for making and selling sport shoes displaying a counterfeit Nike logo.

Early this year Nike found in the Shanghai branch of Auchan shoes that displayed an unauthorized copy of registered logo AIR JORDAN - a silhouette of former basketball star Michael Jordan slam-dunking. Nike sent a cease and desist letter to Auchan, as well as the shoe manufacturers Jinjiang Longzhibu Shoes and Jinjiang Kangwei Shoes, but it did not receive the desired response. In May Nike issued proceedings against the shoe manufacturers and Auchan in the Shanghai court.

On August 20 the court held that the shoe makers infringed Nike's trademark by producing shoes with a logo that was nearly identical to Nike's registered trademark. Auchan had also committed acts of trademark infringement by selling the shoes. The court ordered Auchan to pay Rmb160,000 ($21,333) in damages, while the two shoe makers were ordered to pay Rmb100,000 and Rmb90,000 respectively.

Jin Ling, Rouse & Co International, Beijing