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Nike filed a complaint on Monday against the company selling “Satan Shoes” by Lil Nas X, argue that the swoosh on the controversial shoe violates its trademark and damages its brand. The trial comes on the same day as the shoes were released, which feature a bronze pentagram, the number “666” and a small amount of human blood.
The shoes, a collaboration between Lil Nas X and New York-based art collective MSCHF, are modified versions of the Nike Air Max 97s – and the brand signature “SWOOSH” is prominently displayed on the side of the shoe and on its tongue. The shoes, which sold out within minutes, cost $ 1,018 – a reference to the Bible passage Luke 10:18, which says, “I saw Satan lightning down from heaven.”
Nike
The satanic imagery of the shoes has sparked strong reactions online – including from South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who shared an image of the shoes alongside a Warning that “we are in a fight for the soul of our nation”.
Nike referred to this controversy in its lawsuit, which asks the court to force MSCHF to stop producing the shoes and award damages for the financial damage suffered by the company.
The company argued that the shoes are “likely to cause confusion and dilution and to create an erroneous association between the products of MSCHF and Nike”, claiming that there is “already significant evidence of confusion and dilution. in the marketplace, including calls to boycott Nike in response to the launch of MSCHF’s Satan shoes based on the mistaken belief that Nike authorized or approved this product. ”
MSCHF
“As a direct and immediate consequence of MSCHF’s wrongdoing, Nike has suffered, continues to suffer and / or is at risk of suffering damage to its brands, commercial reputation and goodwill that money cannot compensate for,” added the lawsuit. “Unless otherwise specified, MSCHF will continue to use Nike’s claimed trademarks and / or similar confusing trademarks and will cause irreparable damage to Nike for which Nike has no adequate legal remedy.”
MSCHF did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment on the trial, although it had previously said: “We expected a backlash, and we are all for it.”
This is not the first time that MSCHF has published modified Nikes. In 2019, the company discontinued “Jesus Shoes,” a pair of Air Max 97s modified with holy water and a gold crucifix. The release of Satan Shoes is linked to Lil Nas X’s new song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”.
Lil Nas X took to the lawsuit on Twitter, posting a “SpongeBob SquarePants” meme of a character begging for money with the caption “Me after Nike’s lawsuit.” The artist is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Sophie Lewis contributed reporting.
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