Jordan Calls On Avon With $100 Million Lawsuit

Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan sued cosmetics maker Avon Products Inc. and New York watch wholesaler M.Z. Berger & Co. for $100 million in damages, charging they used his name and image in a sales promotion without his permission.

The suit, filed in Chicago’s U.S. District Court, alleges that Avon used unauthorized photos of Jordan and his signature to promote watches and other merchandise in its recent Father’s Day catalog. The catalog describes the watch as “Avon’s exclusive Michael Jordan watch,” the suit says.

Jordan claims in the suit that Avon committed “trademark infringement, false advertising, and trademark dilution” by failing to get approval for the images from Jordan and Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., which has an exclusive license and sub-licensing arrangement with Jordan.

A spokesman for Avon said the company received “appropriate” permission from Berger to use Jordan’s likeness.

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