In favor of protecting their own intellectual property

Chinese Court Rules Against Nike in Suit:

Internet cartoonist Zhu Zhiqiang had sought $240,000 in compensation from Nike as well as a public apology for allegedly copying his "Little Match Man" illustration in one of its worldwide ad campaigns.

A Beijing court ruled Wednesday in Zhu's favor, ordering Nike to pay $36,000 in compensation and issue a public apology to Zhu, the China Daily newspaper said.

"I got what I wanted - confirmation on my copyright over my stickman," Zhu was quoted as saying.

Zhang Zaiping, a lawyer for the Beaverton, Ore.-based Nike, had argued that the image used by Nike was a common symbol not entitled to protection under copyright law.

"From mural and stone paintings in ancient times to Sherlock Holmes stories, the logo has been used repeatedly," Zhang was quoted as saying in an earlier China Daily report.

The stick figure logo for Nike's "Creativity in Sports" campaign was designed by an American advertising company in 2002 for $3 million.

Nike plans to appeal the ruling, the paper said.

The case is an unusual reversal of roles for China, which has frequently been criticized by the United States for being lax about protecting patents and other intellectual property.

The country's thriving industry in product piracy routinely violates copyrights, trademarks and patents on movies, designer clothes and other goods, despite promises by Beijing to crack down.

The report links to Zhu Zhiqiang's www.xiaoxiaomovie.com