A Shanghai court has ordered a Chinese shoe company to pay more than 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) in compensation for using a similar logo to that of American sportswear brand New Balance.

Citing “unfair competition,” the Pudong New Area People’s Court on Thursday ruled against the Chinese brand, New Barlun. It ordered the copycat company to cease infringement of New Balance’s logo, issue a public clarification, and pay 10.8 million yuan to the plaintiff, which had sued for more than 30 million yuan in damages. The court said the Chinese company’s use of a similar “N” logo on its shoes “could cause customers to be confused.”

In recent years, cases of intellectual property theft have gained greater attention among the Chinese public, coinciding with stricter enforcement by domestic courts. In late March, the Supreme People’s Court ruled in favor of basketball legend Michael Jordan in an eight-year trademark dispute with Chinese company Qiaodan Sports, whose name sounds similar. The court prohibited the Fujian-based company from using the Chinese translation of Jordan’s name, Qiaodan, to avoid misleading consumers. (Image: From @财经网 on Weibo)