In the US we tend to take property rights for granted, in addition to having a body of well developed law on our shelves and an independent judiciary to help us sort out property disputes between parties.

Not so in China.

See this WSJ article, China Sports Stars Face Hurdles in the Race for Ad Riches.

This is a great piece on how this issue is a mess and much more complex in China.

And it’s also interesting from a public policy standpoint which facets of these sports star contracts in China should be/not be enforceable and to what extent the talent of such sports stars can and should be “owned” as an enforceable property right.

If you were the judge, which side would you rule in favor of, and why? The athlete, or the state? If you ruled for the athlete, would you require as a condition that he/she return to the state a dollar amount that equals what the state invested in that athlete and how do you quantify such an amount?

These are some of the interesting issues your business attorney gets to work on and think about in dealing with contract disputes.

June 3 Professor Carr Addendum:  A great NY Times article relating to the above just came out about Liu Xiang, the great Chinese 110 meter hurdler. See, A Runner Taking Each Hurdle as it Comess.  He made $7 million US last year in endorsements alone!  $7 million US is roughly equivalent to $56 million in China.  Good for him.  Seems like a good fellow.

As a follow up to my previous posts and leadership and the soft skills of business (Leadership and the Himilayas — Part I, Leadership — Part II and Leadership Part III), check out this WSJ article, Hard Sell on ‘Soft’ Skills Can Primp a Resume for some useful ideas for your resume …

I am surprised by how often students feel like they don’t have an interesting story to tell or item to focus on in their resume. However, this article gives some great ideas for hidden gems in your background and experience that you may not have even realized were there.