Nike, Inc. is under legal assault once again, this time through a lawsuit filed by a cartoonist in China that claims the company infringed the copyright of one of his characters in a global marketing campaign.
The claimant, Zhu Zhigiang, an Internet cartoonist, the Stickman image used in Nikes recent Creativity In Sports campaign bears too strong a resemblance to his flash animation character Little Match Man.
According to published reports out of Shanghai, the Bejing-based Zhu is apparently seeking two million yuan, or US $240,000, in damages from Nike and its Suzhou subsidiary.
Nike has dismissed the claim, reiterating in a statement that the character is “an original creation of Nike and its advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy, Amsterdam.” The company also said the Stickman character was a “commonly used” design and was therefore not entitled to copyright protection. Nike has reportedly been in some discussion with Zhus lawyer for the past month, and has yet to receive a formal court notice in regard to the lawsuit, according to the report.
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