Businesswoman makes the right call on Lin

BEIJING - The rise of National Basketball Association (NBA) sensation Jeremy Lin has not only brought him millions of fans overnight but potential fortune and wealth to others with foresight.

Yu Minjie, owner of a sports products company based in Wuxi city, East China's Jiangsu province, paid less than 5,000 yuan ($708) and applied for a trademark registration for "Jeremy S.H.L." (Shu Hao Lin, Jeremy Lin's Chinese name) for her sports products about two years ago, after watching Lin's performance on television as a Harvard student.

"My sister, who is a Harvard fan, said Lin was pretty impressive during the whole game and believed that he would someday rise to fame," Yu Minhua, sister of the businesswoman, told China Daily on Wednesday.

The company registered the trademark for sportswear, accessories, balls and toys. According to Yu Minhua, the basketball under this trademark, which is still being processed, will be released in early March.

The Harvard sensation filed an application to trademark "Linsanity" in the United States last week, but it is unlikely he will be able to claim the Jeremy S.H.L. trademark, according to experts.

"This is a legitimate commercial activity, and Yu Minjie was sharp in investment and lucky," said Liu Chuntian, director of the Intellectual Property Institute at Renmin University of China. "Lin was barely known by the public when the Chinese trademark was registered, and there's no violation of trademark law or intellectual property."