Nike are suing over trademark infringement.
Nike is suing Brooklyn art collective MSCHF over a controversial pair of “Satan Shoes” that contain a drop of real human blood in the soles.
The $1,018 (£740) trainers, which feature an inverted cross, a pentagram and the words “Luke 10:18”, were made using modified Nike Air Max 97s.
MSCHF released 666 pairs of the shoes on Monday in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X and says they sold out in less than a minute.
Nike claims trademark infringement.
Given that they still have the Nike logo and Nike hasn’t authorised this, I’d say they have a case.
“MSCHF and its unauthorised Satan Shoes are likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF’s products and Nike,” the sports shoe giant says in the lawsuit.
Given that this has already happened and there are calls to boycott Nike, then yes, suing is the right thing to do.
Anyone who pays that amount of money for a pair of high end plimsolls, made by 5 year old children in India, deserves, not only to be publicly ridiculed, but made to work a week of shifts on the production line.
Nike taking the bastards to the cleaners is the next best thing.
Ok, you’re doing this.
Why not remove the Nike logo?
They’d have a much harder time then.
Morons.
Presumably it the controversial Satan stuff that is the problem. Ghia started out putting posher interiors into Ford cars. Ford didn’t sue them, they eventually bought them out and used the Ghia badge to market their slightly more upmarket cars.
Yep. Like TWR Jaguars and Rovers, Alpina BMWs, Mulliner RRs, Ford Transit Chassis Cabs…
As Stony implies, these were an enhancement of the brand and didn’t damage it.
Agree. Although when all other attacks on Christianity are encouraged, including illegal closure of churches, this stinks of hypocrisy
I hope it’s a lengthy, expensive trial with a verdict that awards no costs or damages
I’m not so sure. If I buy a car and add suspension, turbo, etc. and then label it as my own alongside manufacturer logos. A Model T or whatever. Am I not allowed to sell that car at a premium?
As a private seller, probably not an issue. However, this article is about a product that is damaging to the core brand. See the discussion above. That said, I suspect that if the original manufacturer took issue with you selling a product with their trademark without their consent, they would probably win their case. In the motor industry, manufacturers seem not to be concerned about performance upgrades as it’s clear what is going on and enhances the core brand.
Indeed, reminded me of 80s bike modifiers like Harris, Stan Stephens. Manufactures had no problem with a ‘Harris Kawasaki Z1000’, ‘Stan Stephens Yamaha RD400’
Doubt they’d approve a ‘Hitler Honda 750/4’ or a ‘Stalin Suzuki GS1000’
iirc there was a Starskey & Hutch ep where a yank comedian couldn’t understand why he couldn’t get an audience or audition – name was Hitler