Nike has filed a lawsuit over Lil Nas X's new Satan-inspired shoe.
The Old Town Road rapper teamed up with streetwear brand MSCHF for the customised red and black Nike Air Max '97s Satan Shoes, which feature a drop of human blood mixed with red ink in the sole air bubble, and subsequently sold out online in one minute.
Lil Nas X faced a backlash over the sneakers, featuring bible references to Satan’s fall from heaven, and Nike were forced to issue a statement on Sunday insisting they had no association with the collection dubbed Satan Shoes.
The sportswear giant has now launched legal proceedings against MSCHF, suing for trademark infringement, false designation of origin, trademark dilution and common law trademark infringement and unfair competition, according to documents filed in New York on Monday.
Lawyers for Nike said the sneakers were "materially altered to prominently feature a satanic theme", and believe the shoes will “cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF’s products and Nike.”
The lawsuit alleges that the backlash over the shoes on social media, in which some Twitter users are severing their ties with the brand, shows there is already confusion over Nike's involvement in the Satan Shoe collection.
They allege that MSCHF is “deceiving consumers into believing that Nike manufactures or approves of the ‘Satan Shoe'," and are demanding that the streetwear brand no longer offer or sell Nike-branded products.
They want “any and all profits” earned from the Satan Shoe, which was priced at $1,018, as well as “an award of three times the amount of compensatory damages and increased profits.”
