The Shoes Are Sparking Controversy Due To Its Demonic Imagery
You might say Rapper Lil Nas X has sold his sole to the devil with his newly-released Satan Shoes.
The MSCHF x Lil Nas X Satan Shoes are launching Monday, March 29, and theyre trending on social media and Google, but not just for its controversial demonic imagery on the shoes exterior.
According to SAINT, the brand thats selling the shoes, these Nike Air Max 97 style shoes contain 60cc of ink and one drop of human blood. Yes, you read that right.
According to SAINT, there will be 666 pairs released with a hefty price tag of $1,018.
The shoes were released just days after Lil Nas Xs controversial MONTERO music video premiered on March 25 on YouTube, which is reminiscent of the same Satanic theme.
Although SAINT includes the Nike symbol on the outside of the footwear, Nike released a statement to Input Magazine claiming no involvement in the shoes creation.
We do not have a relationship with Lil Nas X or MSCHF. Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them, Nike said in a statement to the magazine.
Its unclear if Nike will send a cease and desist to the rapper for his Satan Shoes, but if it did happen, Input Magazine said Lil Nas X could argue that the shoes are part of an art project, which could provide some legal safety.
Nike Filed A Lawsuit Claiming That The Satanshoes Unofficial Redesigns Of Nike’s Trademark Airmax 97 Sneaker Despite The Various Modifications Made Are Stillwell Recognizable As Nike’s Product
Art and fashion sometimes cross their ways. It’s plenty ofcases where designerstake “inspiration” from art , or where artists collaborate withfamous brands.
It can happen that the fashion brand asks the artist to design acollection , or askspermission to use a piece of art on the opposite, artistssometimes take famous brands and use them in their work of art, inthe name of “freedom ofexpression” .
In some cases, the inspiration and the utilization is legal andit doesn’t require the consent of the other party. Sometimes,quite the opposite. This is what happened with Nike.
MSCF x Lil NasX’s “Satan Shoes” Nike AirMax ’97
Nike Sues Over ‘satan Shoes’ With Human Blood
Nike is suing Brooklyn art collective MSCHF over a controversial pair of “Satan Shoes” that contain a drop of real human blood in the soles.
The $1,018 trainers, which feature an inverted cross, a pentagram and the words “Luke 10:18”, were made using modified Nike Air Max 97s.
MSCHF released 666 pairs of the shoes on Monday in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X and says they sold out in less than a minute.
Nike claims trademark infringement.
It has asked the court to stop MSCHF from selling the shoes and prevent them from using its famous Swoosh design mark.
“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 giant says in the lawsuit.
MSCHF “dropped” the black and red shoes on Monday, coinciding with the launch of Lil Nas X’s latest song Montero , which debuted on YouTube last Friday.
The song sees the rapper, who came out in 2019, celebrating his sexuality while rejecting society’s attempts to shame him.
In the heavily stylised video, he slides down a stripper pole from heaven to hell before dancing provocatively with Satan, then snapping his neck and stealing his horns.
The imagery and the shoes both reference the Bible verse Luke 10:18 – “So He told them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’.”
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Nike Sued Mschf For Trademark Infringement False Designationof Origin And Trademark Dilution
It asked the court to force MSCHF to cease manufacturing,distributing, selling or promoting any products under Nike’svarious trademarks, while it also wanted a court to order thatMSCHF “deliver to Nike for destruction any and allshoes, apparel, digital files, packaging, printed graphics,promotional materials”, and to award monetary damages forthe financial harm the company has suffered.
Rapper Lil Nas X with the Satan shoes.
The release of the satanic-themed shoes coincided with Lil NasX’s new song and music videofor “MONTERO
“, in which the21-year-old rapper attempts to seduce a devil.
The rapper and the MSHF collective argued that the shoesare “individually-numbered works ofart”, that should not be confused with a Nikeproduct, that no one will actually wear them but exhibit theminstead, and invoked the freedom ofexpression.
On Wednesday, though, a U.S. District Court in New York approvedNike’s request for a temporary restraining order againstMSCHF.
The “transformation” wasnot enough to consider the shoes a work of art. Nomore Satan shoes can be produced or sold, even though thisrestriction came useless because, according to MSCHF’s lawyers,almost all the 666 pair were already sold and shipped and they haveno plans to produce any more pairs of the shoe.
The exclusive all white Nike Air Max 97 MSCHF x INRI JesusShoes
According to CBS News, the company’s head of commerce,Daniel Greenberg, confirmed that MSCHF bought normal pair of NikeAir Max 97 sneakers at market value.
Lil Nas X Isnt Ready To Bury His Beef With The Beaverton
Lil Nas X isnt done milking the absurdity of the Satan Shoes controversy.
Today, the rapper released a short video depicting him in a courtroom defending himself against Nike, which recently sued New York art collective MSCHF, the company that made the sacrilegious custom Nike Air Max 97s in collaboration with Lil Nas X.
Decked out with pentagrams and containing drops of human blood in the sole, the shoes were sold in conjunction with the release of Xs now infamous Montero video. Unsurprisingly, the shoes sparked an immediate online backlash from conservatives, and Nike promptly filed a trademark infringement suit.
The case was settled back in April with a voluntary recall. At the time, an attorney for MSCHF told NBC News that the collective had already achieved its artistic goal of commenting on the absurdity of the collaboration culture practiced by some brands, and about the perniciousness of intolerance.
Clearly, though, Lil Nas X isnt as ready to bury his beef with the Beaverton-based sportswear giant.
In the video, X plays himself, the judge, his defense attorney, who cant remember his clients name, and a juror who declares the court should lock him up and throw away the key. Adding to the absurdity, the only line of questioning is about Lil Nas Xs sexuality.
This is about much more than shoes: Mr. Nas X, are you gay?, Nikes attorney asks the rapper. Let me rephrase the question: Do your mama know you gay?
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Trademark Owners Responsibility To Police Their Marks And Mschfs Previously Released Jesus Shoe
Trademark owners should police their marks and take action against infringers so as not to waive rights to future enforcement against the same company. MSCHF had previously released a pair of Jesus Shoes, again using the Nike Air Max 97 shoe, back in 2019. The Jesus Shoe was filled with holy water from the Jordan River instead of red ink and human blood, like the Satan shoe. The Jesus Shoe brought Nike positive attention and good press. Just like the Satan Shoe, Nike had no involvement in the creation and endorsement of the Jesus shoe. However, Nike did not take legal action against MSCHF for the Jesus shoe at the time of its release. Knowing this might come up in MSCHFs defense, Nike addressed it in a letter to the judge, citing cases in which a trademark plaintiff has no obligation to sue until the likelihood of confusion looms large, and that the reason it did not sue MSCHF at the time was because it was a smaller release that attracted little attention and was not one that associated Nikes brand with as charged a topic as Satanism. Nike also noted it did not out pursuing relief related to the Jesus Shoe
Nike Agrees To Settlement With ‘satan Shoe’ Maker
The company behind the “Satan Shoes” released in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X has settled with Nike over the sneakers the corporate giant said were trademark infringement.
MSCHF, the Brooklyn studio that developed 666 pairs of customized Nike Air Max 97s — complete with an apparent drop of human blood in the midsole — issued a voluntary recall for the kicks.
In a Friday email the company offered a full refund of the original retail price and shipping costs to customers who purchased either the Satan Shoes or the previously released “Jesus Shoes” — which contained holy water in the sole.
The Satan Shoes went for $1,018 each.
“We have agreed to settle the lawsuit,” the MSCHF email read. “As part of the settlement, Nike has asked us, and we have agreed, to initiate a recall in order to remove the Satan Shoes and the Jesus Shoes from circulation.”
“This is a voluntary recall: it is totally within your rights to choose whether to return your Satan Shoes or Jesus Shoes.”
The Satan Shoes sold out almost instantly when they dropped late last month.
Their release triggered controversy from some American conservatives, especially those already incensed by artist Lil Nas X’s lusty video for the song “Montero ” whose release was affiliated with the shoes.
Details of the settlement beyond the recall were not disclosed.
“The parties are pleased to put this dispute behind them,” a Nike spokesperson said in a statement.
mdo/bfm
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Nike Is Accused Of Costing Brazil The 1998 World Cup
That they have still won the most World Cups of any nation is a source of immeasurable pride for Brazilians.
But a then-fifth or sixth overall title slipped out of their reach at France ’98 when a headed brace by Zinedine Zidane handed the host nation the trophy.
As the reigning Ballon d’Or holder, Ronaldo was on top of Planet Football. But a seizure meant he could not perform at his mercurial best.
Edmundo would have been a better punt up front, yet instead Ronaldo was picked and it effectively meant Brazil played the French with 10 men while claims have also been made he was meant to mark Zidane.
Gutted at being unable to retain the title, as seen in 1962 in the Pele era, conspiracy theories spread among the population in South American’s largest country that kit and Ronaldo sponsor Nike made him play.
At a congressional inquiry commission, R9 was forced to debunk them. “I only played after medical tests showed I was clinically and physically fit to do so. If the tests had showed otherwise, I would not have played,” he said.
“The only thing Nike have asked of me is that I wear their boots.”
‘satan Shoes’ Launched By Lil Nas X Which Contained A Drop Of Blood To Be Recalled After Nike Lawsuit
Nike filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against MSCHF Product Studio following the launch of the sneakers.
Friday 9 April 2021 08:13, UK
The so-called “Satan shoes” which allegedly contained a drop of human blood are to be recalled following a lawsuit from Nike.
Lil Nas X, a rapper, helped launch the shoes, which were based on the Nike Air Max 97.
Nike had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against MSCHF Product Studio, the sellers of the footwear.
As part of the settlement, the shoes will be recalled and buyers will be refunded by MSCHF “to remove them from circulation”.
Only 666 pairs were made, and they sold for $1,018 a set.
The black and red trainers also had the words “Luke 10:18” printed on them – a reference to a Biblical verse that alludes to Satan’s fall from heaven.
They also had the Nike tick on them.
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The Satan Shoes created a social media stir and the dispute was covered by major press from around the world.
In both cases, MSCHF altered these shoes without Nikes authorization. Nike had nothing to do with the Satan Shoes or the Jesus Shoes, Nike said in its statement.
What We Reported Last Week: Nike Inc. appears to have a win over MSCHF Product Studio Inc., the creator of Lil Nas Xs controversial Satan Shoes.
According to a NBC News report today, a judge in the Eastern District of New York ruled that MSCHF must stop fulfilling Satan Shoes orders after Nike filed for a temporary restraining order Tuesday. The complaint asked the court to keep MSCHF from issuing orders, using any Nike work and referring to Nikes logos.
Nike responded to FNs request for comment via email statement: The court issued a Temporary Restraining Order against MSCHF today. We dont have any further details to share on pending legal matters.
Yesterday, lawyers submitted a letter to the court on behalf of MSCHF Product Studio, Inc. in opposition to Nikes application for a temporary restraining order.
MSCHF did not respond to FNs request for comment.
The complaint was filed in federal court in the Eastern District of New York. It alleges trademark infringement and dilution, unfair competition and false designation of origin.
Colin Kaepernick Takes A Knee
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first began making political statements on social media against police brutality, then started taking the knee during the American national anthem from the preseason through to the NFL 2016 regular season.
Nike shares took a nosedive and products were burned in counter-protests by patriots and Trump supporters.
The company tried to release a Betsy Ross-flag pair of Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July to make amends, but Kaepernick also kicked a stink by declaring he associated the symbol with slavery.
With Kaepernick now retired to focus on activism, the row has died down. But with race relations more strained than ever in the US, and the Black Lives Matter movement still going, it could flare up at any moment once more.
Again at FIFA’s flagship international football tournament, Iran’s players were barred from wearing boots in Russia.
The action came as part of US sanctions on the Middle Eastern Country, with Nike fearful of hefty fines if it didn’t toe the line on Donald Trump’s watch.
“US sanctions mean that, as a US company, Nike cannot supply shoes to players in the Iranian national team at this time,” it said in an EPSN-published statement.
“Sanctions applicable to Nike have been in place for many years and are enforceable by law.”
The furor caused outrage among Iranians, who launched the No to Nike boycott movement as a response.
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Twitter Reacts As Lil Nas X’s Satan Shoes Take The Internet By Storm
Lil Nas X recently took over the internet with the release of his explosive new “Montero” music video, which soon became a hot topic of discussion across social media.
From featuring stunning, immersive visuals to symbolic imagery, the song served as an absolute thrill ride that left scores of fans in awe of his gloriously unabashed persona.
However, the song’s numerous references to paradise, hell, and Satan, ended up opening up a Pandora’s box on Twitter, as fans and critics began to duke it out over the perceived meaning of the song.
Keeping that in mind, the launch of Lil Nas X’s upcoming “Satan Shoes,” invited a barrage of responses online, with a majority of Twitter users left scandalized at the sheer audacity of his marketing move:
Whats in the sole
Joe Seppi
What’s interesting to note is the fact that while the shoes will be designed along the lines of the Air Max ’97, the actual collaboration is not with Nike.
Rather, it is with MSCHF, a brand which is known to specialize in making customized shoes, having introduced the “Jesus Shoes” in the past that reportedly sold out instantly upon launch:
Challenging these Check out the Nike Air Max 97 MSCHF x INRI Jesus Shoes available on StockX
hyper cyber
As reactions continue to come in thick and fast, it remains to be seen how Lil Nas X’s latest collaboration with MSCHF on a pair of “Satan Shoes” ends up faring, come March 29th.
Nike Sues Novelty Company Mschf Over Lil Nas Xs Satan Shoes Collab
Lil Nas X and MSCHF released a collaboration sneaker using the Nike Air Max 97 with satanic-inspired details and a single drop of human blood in each shoe. Nike is suing for trademark infringement.
The court order prohibits Mschf from fulfilling Satan Shoes purchases, despite the collectives lawyer alleging that 600 pairs had already been shipped, according to CBS News. Nikes lawyers expressed doubts about that claim.
Some consumers mistook the collaboration as Nikes endorsement of satanism, the Monday lawsuit said, and boycotted the company as a result. The brands characteristic Swoosh logo was unaltered on the shoe, adding to the confusion about Nikes possible involvement with Mschf.
Nike quickly distanced itself from the shoe, emphasizing its disaffiliation in multiple statements since the Monday drop.
Given the current circumstances, this action by Nike will also prohibit Lil Nas Xs Twitter giveaway for Satan Shoes Edition 666 from happening indefinitely, Mschf said in a statement referencing a Twitter promotion to give away the 666th pair produced. At $1,018 a pair, the sneakers sold out in minutes after their release.
sorry guys im legally not allowed to give the 666th pair away anymore because of the crying nerds on the internet
nope
The Old Town Road musician explained the videos devilish themes Saturday , saying the imagery evokes the consequences he was told as a teenager would await him for coming out as gay.
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Lil Nas X Calls Out Critics Of His Nike Satan Shoes After Tony Hawk Promotes Skateboard With Blood
This Aug. 26, 2019 file photo shows Lil Nas X at the MTV Video Music Awards in Newark, N.J. This week he has raised questions online about public reaction to a new skateboard from Tony Hawk and how the public has reacted to them compared to a controversy earlier this year over shoes he was promoting.
Lil Nas X has social medias blood boiling.
Just months after Nike and Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF settled a lawsuit over Lil Nas Xs Satan Shoes which were a modified version of Nike Air Max 97s featuring his blood and a bronze pentagram pendant the rapper is wondering what really fueled the outrage he received after Tony Hawk promoted a new skateboard with his very own blood in them.
Liquid Death, a canned mountain water company, revealed Tuesday in a video announcement that the legendary skateboarders blood would be included in the red paint on a new skateboard, Hawk Blood Deck, which has already sold out. Hawk said in the promotional video that proceeds from the limited-edition drop would go toward killing pollution and to building skate parks in underserved communities.
Lil Nas X wasnt here for it.
Now that tony hawk has released skateboards with his blood painted on them, and there was no public outrage, are yall ready to admit yall were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes? and maybe u were mad for some other reason? Lil Nas X tweeted Wednesday.
— Aron Yohannes
