Athletic shoemaker Nike Inc sued a New York-based company that produced “Satan Shoes” purported to contain a drop of human blood as part of a collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X.
Nike said in the lawsuit that the company, MSCHF Product Studio Inc, infringed on and diluted its trademark with the black-and-red, devil-themed shoes. These went on sale online on Monday. Lil Nas X is not named as a defendant in the suit.
Some workplaces encourage employees to donate blood as an act of charity. But six workers at MSCHF, a quirky company based in Brooklyn, known for products like toaster-shaped bath bombs and rubber-chicken bongs, offered their blood for a new line of shoes.
The shoes customized as Nike Air Max 97 sneakers, contain red ink and “one drop of human blood” in the sole, according to a website describing the 666 pairs of limited edition shoes. More so, the back of one shoe says “MSCHF” and the other says “Lil Nas X.”
Several media outlets reported that the shoes sold out in less than one minute. That too, at a cost of $1,018 per pair. Lil Nas X said on Twitter he would choose the recipient of the 666th pair from social media users who circulated one of his tweets.
A drop of blood mixed with ink fills an air bubble in the shoes
Nike, in its lawsuit filed in federal court in New York, said the shoes were produced “without Nike’s approval and authorization”. In addition to this, it claimed that the company was “in no way connected with this project.”
“Decisions about what products to put the ‘swoosh’ on belong to Nike. Not to third parties like MSCHF,” Nike said in its lawsuit, referring to its “swoosh” logo. “Nike requests that the court immediately and permanently stop MSCHF from fulfilling all orders for its unauthorized Satan Shoes.”
Nike asked the court to immediately stop MSCHF from fulfilling orders for the shoes. Moreover, it requested a jury trial to seek damages.
The Grammy-winning rapper, 21, on Friday released a video for his new song Montero (Call Me By Your Name). In the music video, he dances with a character wearing devil horns.
Last year, a Nike ad suggested it might be changing Islam. The ad campaign showed a woman in Burqa who is skateboarding, and transitions into a woman skateboarding and bearing the homosexuality LGBTQ+ flag, enraging Muslims worldwide.
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