Shanghai's First Financial Daily reported Chinese athletic brand Qiaodan said that "it is considering countersuing basketball legend Michael Jordan for malicious prosecution" as its trademark dispute remains in limbo more than nine months after it was first filed, according to WANT CHINA TIMES. Jordan sued Qiaodan in February, accusing the Fujian-based company of "deliberately and aggressively" misleading the public by using his name without permission. Qiaodan is a Chinese transliteration of "Jordan," but the company said that "it has been using the trademark legally since '00 and is protected under Chinese law." Qiaodan is accusing Jordan of "trying to drag the case on indefinitely to tie up its resources and damage its business." The company said, "This no longer has anything to do with fairness or justice; it has become ugly commercial tactics." Qiaodan said it will not give up its right to use "legal avenues to protect its reputation" (WANT CHINA TIMES, 12/17). 

Australian Football League Sydney Swans have "capped their AFL premiership success" with a '12 financial year profit of A$207,007 ($218,000), according to the AAP. Swans Chair Richard Colless said that the club's second successive profit, after losses in '09 and '10, was "in line with its three-year plan." Colless: "The modest profit, posted after achieving the ultimate objective of winning the 2012 AFL premiership, reflects the reality of fielding an elite sporting team in Australia's most competitive sporting market and in one of the world's most expensive cities to live." Colless added that the result, which takes into account non-cash expenses of A$391,633, was a fair result given the stadium's redevelopment, "which made 10,000 seats unavailable for the entire season" (AAP, 12/19).