A Chinese company has applied to trademark the name of Japanese baseball star Ohtani Shohei to use on merchandise, including hats and clothing, without his permission.
However, a representative for the firm said he had never heard of the L.A. Dodgers player and that the similarity is merely coincidence.
Ohtani wouldn't be the first athlete to have their name trademarked in China without permission, as attempts to trademark the names of popular brands or celebrity athletes are commonplace in the country.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Ohtani—a pitcher and designated hitter—signed with the Dodgers in a $700 million deal. It is touted as one of the most lucrative contracts in the history of professional sports and gives his name huge earning potential.
The application to trademark his name, including in Japanese script, was filed by a clothing company in Putian, a city in Fujian province, in December, the same month the Dodgers announced the slugger had signed his record-breaking, 10-year contract with the team.
Japan's TBS News reported Tuesday that the company had included the characters for the 29-year-old's name under the category that includes clothes, swimsuits, hats, and gloves.
In a recorded interview with the news channel, a representative for the Chinese firm acknowledged it had registered the name with the country's trademark office.
However, when asked whether the application was related to Ohtani, the representative responded: "Who is Ohtani?" He added that he was neither aware Ohtani was a renowned baseball player or that the company should have sought permission from him before applying for the trademark.
The broadcaster reported that in the past, the Chinese firm had also applied to trademark the names of luxury brands—including Bvlgari, Hermes, and Cartier, albeit with the letters slightly rearranged.
Newsweek contacted the L.A. Dodgers and the China Trademark Office for comment via email outside of business hours.
Other celebrity athletes who have had their names trademarked in China without their permission include Eileen Gu, a Chinese American Olympian with gold medals in freestyle skiing. A search for her name on the China Trademark Office website yields dozens of applications.
Gu became a celebrity in the country when she decided to compete for China in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Japanese figure skater Hanyu Yuzuru is another athlete popular in China, and his name likewise has over a dozen applications on the China Trademark Office website.
Ohtani previously played with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League before joining the Los Angeles Angels in 2018.
He made his spring-training debut with the Dodgers on Tuesday, scoring a two-run homer in the fifth inning. The game ended in a 9-6 victory for the Dodgers over the Chicago White Sox.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
