Nike sues the manufacturer of Lil Nas X’s ‘Satan Shoes’ for trademark infringement.
New York (CNN Business) – Nike was issuing the art collective behind Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes” that has sparked an angry backlash on social media.
In the lawsuit filed on Monday, Naik accused MSCHF Product Studios, Inc. of trademark infringement on the 666 pairs of modified Nike tennis shoes made in collaboration with the “Old Town Road” singer. All 666 pairs were sold out on Monday.
The MSCHF has not responded to repeated requests for legal action.
In its lawsuit, Nike asks the court to order MSCHF to “permanently stop” the orders for the “unauthorized” Lil Nas X Satan Shoes. The lawsuit alleges that social media users threatened to boycott Nike over controversial tennis shoes.
Lil Nass X is not listed as part of the lawsuit. Specimen of the musician did not answer calls or emails requesting comment Monday night.
The sportswear company said in its complaint that “MSCHF and its unauthorized devil shoes can cause confusion and weakness and lead to misunderstandings between MSCHF products and Nike.”In the short time since Satan Shoes was announced, Nike has suffered significant damage to its goodwill, even among consumers who believe that Nike supports Satanism.”
Nike has issued statements to various media outlets, including CNN, stating that it has “no affiliation with Lil Nass or MSCHF” and that “Nike has worn these shoes.” It was not designed or launched, and we do not endorse them.
The modified black and red Nike Air Max 97 sneakers, adorned with a bronze pentagram charm and a drop of human blood on the midsole, are the latest custom shoe product from Nike released by MSCHF. The organization also launched a couple of indicating “Jesus Shoes” in 2019.
In its complaint, Nike says that the Satan Shoes prominently features its famous Swoosh logo.
He started the controversy last week with the release of a music video for Lil Nass X’s latest single, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name).” In the video, the singer is dressed as a falling angel and a devil in a provocative outfit who rides on a stripper tube, where he gives the devil a lap dance.
Following the release of the video on Friday, Lil Nas teased the launch of her new Satan Shoes on Twitter. the day after Lil Nas X released the music video, he responded to the reactions with a post that read, “I spent all my youth hating myself because whatever shit you presented would be because of being gay. “Wrote.” So I hope they feel angry, angry, the same anger that you teach us to keep.
What trademark attorneys say
The episode has all the ingredients for a potential historic legal battle over the current limits of intellectual property law, according to several trademark attorneys, who say Nike has a solid foundation for its lawsuit.
“Alexandra JaysaidYes, Nike has an interesting trademark infringement and tainted weakness, “Roberts, professor of trademark and entertainment law at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. Consumers may be misled into believing that the demons are licensed or endorsed by Jose Nike. Is.
Roberts and other attorneys said the trademark issue at stake is commonly known as the First Sale Doctrine. People who buy a copy of a copyrighted product have the right to resell it without the express permission of the creator.
It’s a legal foundation that gives artists who buy and repurpose individual copyrighted products the ability to express and benefit from their own creativity, according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben Perrott PLLC. Gerben noted that Nike tennis restylers like MSCHF often sell their work on online marketplaces.
It’s that someone took a bunch of Nike shoes, customized them in exactly the same way, and they’re selling them to some extent in such a sophisticated way that people think Nike is involved. “