Nike accused of copyright breach

Animator claims the stickman in firm's ads is his

One of the mainland's top animation artists is suing sportswear giant Nike and a European subsidiary of global advertising firm Wieden & Kennedy for copyright infringement.

Animator Zhu Zhiqiang , also known as Xiaoxiao, claims the stick-figure character used in Nike's global television, internet and outdoor advertising campaign last year was a copy of a character he designed and featured in an animated series using Flash software.

But Nike claims a European designer came up with the stick figure and the company owns the copyright.

Xiaoxiao wants Nike to stop the infringement, issue an apology and pay 2 million yuan in compensation.

The case will go before Beijing No1 Intermediate People's Court next Thursday.

The 27-year-old artist claims the origins of his stickman character go back more than a decade. 'I started working on the stickman in 1990, and created my first Flash animation of him in mid-2000,' he said.