BEIJING - Yao Ming and Coca-Cola's China subsidiary have agreed to an out-of-court settlement over the basketball star's claim the soft-drink giant used his image on its packaging without his permission. <br>
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Coca-Cola said Friday it has apologized to the Houston Rockets center. The Xinhua News Agency in Beijing says the agreement was reached Thursday, more than three months after Coca-Cola China stopped using Yao's picture on its products. Yao told the news agency that the matter is over and he wants to move on. <br>
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Yao has a sponsorship agreement with Pepsi-Cola. In a statement released Friday from its global headquarters in Atlanta, Coke cited its sponsorship of China's national team, of which Yao is a member, but acknowledged it was wrong. Because of the settlement, a trial previously set for Monday has been canceled. Yao had asked for one dollar in damages in his lawsuit.
