Nike Sues Maker Of Lil Nas X ‘Satan Shoes’ Containing Real Human Blood For Trademark Infringement
Nike has filed a trademark lawsuit against MSCHF Product Studio, the company behind singer, Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes,” which contains a real drop of human blood.
The shoes are the latest controversy arising from the rapper’s music video for his song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” which sparked a culture war and right-wing outrage.
The lawsuit claims the company allegedly engaged in trademark infringement, false designation of origin and trademark dilution.
The so-called “Satan Shoes” are a modification of Nike Air Max 97s, which apart from featuring a pentagram pendant, a drop of human blood in the sole of the shoe, also has “Luke 10:18” written on the midsole, a reference to the Bible verse where Satan falls from Heaven.
Read Also: Lil Nas X Launches ‘Satan Shoes’ Containing Real Human Blood (Photos)
MSCHF, a company known for creating controversial and viral products, confirmed on Sunday that the shoes contained a drop of human blood inside the sole, drawn from members of MSCHF team.
Nike filed the suit — Lil Nas X was not named as a defendant — after many people said they believed it was involved with the shoes, even though it released a statement over the weekend saying it had nothing to do with them.
The brand asks the court to force MSCHF to stop promoting and manufacturing the shoes, and require the company “to deliver to Nike for destruction any and all shoes” and other materials that allegedly infringe on Nike’s trademarks.
Nike in its complaint said;
MSCHF and its unauthorized Satan Shoes are likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF’s products and Nike. In the short time since the announcement of the Satan Shoes, Nike has suffered significant harm to its goodwill, including among consumers who believe that Nike is endorsing satanism.
The lawsuit asks for damages, but doesn’t specify how much, only an “award of damages suffered by Nike according to proof at the time of trial.”
In response to the lawsuit, Lil Nas X, who has been responding to conservative critics on Twitter, tweeted a reaction video where Squidward from the Nickelodeon series “Spongebob” asks for spare change, along with the caption “me after the nike lawsuit.”
me after the nike lawsuit pic.twitter.com/XVLjHlSrru
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) March 29, 2021
MSCHF Product Studio released 666 pairs of the shoes on Monday for $1,018 each, and they have since all sold out.
The shoes were designed as a tie-in to Lil Nas X’s music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” which features him giving Devil s lap dance after descending into hell with a stripper pole. The song is about the 21-year-old singer, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, hiding a queer status.
The music video has since sparked a culture war and backlash from conservatives, who disapprove of the song’s use of queer and satanist imagery.
