Sportswear brand Nike is suing New York studio MSCHF over its Satan Shoes, a collaboration with American musician Lil Nas X that customised 666 pairs of trainers with human blood and pentagrams.
In a lawsuit filed at a district court in New York, Nike said the altered shoes, which still display its signature swoosh logo, are causing people to believe "Nike is endorsing satanism" and causing "calls to boycott" their brand.
Satan Shoes by MSCHF are facing a trademark lawsuit
The altered Nike Air Max 97s sold out in under a minute. At $1,018 a pair, the collaboration would have netted $677,988 for MSCHF, which now faces a trademark infringement case.
Nike has asked for MSCHF to pay damages and legal fees and is seeking an intervention to stop the orders of Satan Shoes from being fulfilled. Lil Nas X posing with the customised Nike Air Max 97s
"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," reads the lawsuit.
The suit was filed at the Eastern District of New York, which covers Brooklyn in Kings County where MSCHF is based.
"MSCHF and its unauthorised Satan Shoes are likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF's products and Nike," the sports shoe company's lawyers said.
"In fact, there is already evidence of significant confusion and dilution occurring i...