China's newest sportswear brand Uncle Martian is Under Armour rip-off

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then China is on a roll.

Following in the wake of copycat pyramids and sphinxes, is China's newest sportswear brand, Uncle Martian.

Photo: Mashable

If its name and logo sounds familiar, that's because it seems like an obvious rip-off of American brand Under Armour.

Upping the ante is a Fred Perry-esque wreath wrapped around the logo.

Not obvious at all Uncle Martian.

According to Mashable Asia, the brains behind Uncle Martian is a 25-year-old sports shoe manufacturer, Tingfei Long Sporting Goods Co. Its manager, Huang Canlong, told Chinese media that Uncle Martian would like to compete in China's branded shoe market - which is currently held by New Balance and Under Armour.

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Uncle Martian set up its Weibo account this morning (April 29) to instant backlash as netizens have called them out for its uncanny likeness to Under Armour's red and white logo.

Some said that the brand's blatant disregard for copyright laws were an embarrassment to the country while others questioned if the logo was spelt as UN or UM. People were clearly displeased at the apparent lack of creativity.

However Uncle Martian was quick to defend itself, saying that there was no similarity to Under Armour at all. 

Photo: Weibo screenshot

This is not the first time a Chinese company has capitalised on a popular US brand.

In 2015, US basketball star Michael Jordan lost a legal action against Qiaodan Sports, a Chinese sportswear brand which carried similar products to the athlete's Nike's Air Jordan line.

The International Business Times reported that Qiaodan, which is a loose translation of "Jordan", used the athlete's jersey number, 23, on its merchandise. The brand also printed a logo with striking resemblance to the Nike line, on its products.

debwong@sph.com.sg