Lin latest in China trademark spat
Beijing - Amid a growing list of trademark disputes in China, American Chinese basketball star Jeremy Lin is heading for a trademark showdown of his own.
As legal battles for rights to the iPad and the use of Michael Jordan's name make headlines, basketball star Jeremy Lin has had his name trademarked by another company last year.
This could have repercussions for Lin and Nike, which has a three-year contract with the rising sports star.
In July 2010, sports manufacturer company Wuxi Risheng Sports Utility registered his name as a trademark before his meteoric rise to NBA fame as star player for the New York Knicks.
According to the website of the trademark office of China's State Administration of industry and Commerce the company applied to trademark a variation of Lin's name Lin Shuhao Jeremy S.H.L, derived from his Chinese name and its initials.
The application was approved in August 2011, with the company buying US$710 for the rights.
Yu Minjie, legal representative for Wuxi Risheng Sports Utility told Reuters it would start selling the trademarked basketballs across China from March.
Last week Adidas took advantage of its partnership with the NBA as its exclusive uniform manufacturer to release a batch of Lin and "Linsanity" t-shirts to the market, with plans to release another patch in March as well.
Already Nike has started selling Lin-themed shoes on its website to tap into the point guard's rising fame and last week Lin applied to trademark the term "Linsanity" in the US.
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