Nike and MSCHF, the company behind rapper Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes” have reached a settlement on Thursday for a voluntary recall of the footwear, ending the high-profile legal battle over the controversial sneakers.
As part of the settlement, Nike in a statement said Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF will “initiate a voluntary recall to buy back any Satan Shoes and Jesus Shoes for their original retail prices, in order to remove them from circulation”.
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The buy back also applies to MSCHF’s Jesus Shoes – another product from the Brooklyn-based streetwear company that, like the Satan Shoes, modified Nike Air Max 97s.
Customers who don’t return the shoes should report future product issues, defects or health concerns to MSCHF instead of Nike, the footwear company added.
It would be recalled that last month Nike sued MSCHF for trademark infringement after the collective released a limited modified Nike Air Max 97s, which sold out in less than a minute.
Read Also: Nike Sues Maker Of Lil Nas X ‘Satan Shoes’ Containing Real Human Blood For Trademark Infringement
The shoes sparked controversy as it featured a pentagram pendant, a drop of human blood in the sole of the shoe, and “Luke 10:18” written on the midsole, a reference to the Bible verse where Satan falls from Heaven.
Only 666 pairs were made and sold for $1,018, with the last held back so Lil Nas X, known for the song “Old Town Road,” could choose the recipient.
David Bernstein, who chairs the intellectual property litigation group at Debevoise & Plimpton and represents MSCHF, said the artistic messages MSCHF hoped the shoes would convey were “dramatically amplified” by Nike’s lawsuit.
He said;
MSCHF intended to comment on the absurdity of the collaboration culture practiced by some brands, and about the perniciousness of intolerance. Having achieved its artistic purpose, MSCHF is pleased to have resolved the lawsuit.
Lil Nas X was not a defendant and never got to choose who received the last pair after a Brooklyn judge temporarily halted further sales on April 1.
Nike claimed that even “sneakerheads” were confused about who produced Satan Shoes, while MSCHF said the shoes were “individually-numbered works of art” and did not sow confusion.
Prior to Thursday’s settlement, Nike was granted a temporary restraining order against MSCHF, halting the sale of the Satan Shoes. The ruling marked Nike’s first legal win over the shoes since suing MSCHF for trademark infringement in late March.
According to NBC and The Hollywood Reporter, MSCHF was temporarily blocked from fulfilling orders of the shoes as a result of the restraining order.
The so-called “Satan Shoes” were designed as a tie-in to Lil Nas X’s music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” which features him embracing his queer identity and dancing provocatively with the devil.
The song is about the 21-year-old singer, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, dating someone who is keeping his gay status a secret. The music video and shoe release has since sparked a culture war and backlash from religious conservatives, who disapprove of the song’s use of queer and satanist imagery. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.
