Jeremy Lin may find himself spending some time in court as well as on it.
The publicity frenzy that surrounded the Palo Alto High School product?s unlikely rise to basketball stardom with the New York Knicks in February, after being cut by two other NBA teams and warming the bench, made him the toast of the Big Apple and an A-list celebrity in Taiwan, from which his parents emigrated.
It also made him a globally marketable product, with a ?brand value? estimated by Forbes SportsMoney website at around $15 million ? a figure that far surpasses the $800,000 he now makes playing hoops.
Lin has applied for a U.S. trademark on ?Linsanity,? putting him on a collision course with two fans (or opportunists) who did so a few days before he did. Nike rushed out Lin-themed shoes and a line of clothing is on the way.
But in China, even attempting to trade on his own name might draw Lin a technical foul.
That?s because long before ?Linsanity? took hold, the name of the then virtually unknown player was inexplicably trademarked in China by Wuxi Risheng Utility Co., a maker of basketballs, volleyballs and soccer balls.
Wuxi owner Yu Minjie has reportedly said that she saw Lin play on Chinese TV for Harvard University and took a $700 chance by registering his name. Wuxi Risheng?s control of ?Lin Shuhao? and ?Jeremy S.H.L.? ? his name and initials in Chinese characters ? was approved by China?s website overseers in August 2011, according to Reuters.
The company, Reuters said, expects to start selling ?Lin Shuhao Jeremy S.H.L.? basketballs this month.
Chinese IP law experts say Wuxi?s claim looks ironclad; so Nike, Lin or others wishing to cash in on his fame in China will probably have to buy the rights to do so.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vertical_18/~3/WPIF9MZYjSs/bay-area-basketball-phenom-jeremy-lin.html
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