The scandal and the judicial response. The company MSCHF, designer of the shoe model Satan Shoes, received, Thursday 1er April, the order to stop their delivery after a legal action brought by Nike, according to court documents consulted by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The sports equipment manufacturer accuses the company, which specializes in products in limited series and put up for sale online on a given date, of counterfeiting and dilution of the brand.
Because the said “satanic” sneakers, made in partnership with the American rapper Lil Nas X, are actually black Air Max 97s to which MSCHF has added some distinctive signs reminiscent of the devil: a pentagram, a red cross and even, according to him, a drop of human blood in the sole.
As of Monday, the day of the sale of this 666 model model – a number also associated with Lucifer – Nike had therefore sued the company in a federal civil court in Brooklyn (New York). The equipment manufacturer requested the suspension of the delivery of pairs of these shoes, all sold in less than a day, despite their cost: 1,018 dollars (approximately 864 euros).
The “Jesus sneakers”
A federal judge on Thursday issued an interim restraining order preventing MSCHF from shipping orders for the shoes. He felt that the company’s shares were “Likely to cause confusion (…) among consumers on origin, sponsorship or approval ” shoes, and that they “Dilute and tarnish” the Nike brand, causing “Irreparable harm”.
Shortly after the decision was announced, MSCHF defended its vision in a statement. According to her, these shoes are art and their production falls under freedom of expression. “There’s no better way to start a conversation about consumer culture than by participating in consumer culture”, she thus argued.
The temporary restraining order will stand until a decision is made on Nike’s preliminary injunction motion. MSCHF is due in court on April 14. The “satanic” model was designed by MSCHF after the “Jesus sneakers”, Nike Air Max 97 white, which then contained holy water in the sole. The equipment manufacturer had not then sued for this range, noted the company.
