Trade mark infringement lawsuit between Nike and MSCHF is settled

The dispute between MSCHF and Nike got resolved on the 8th of April in New York. The general public believed Nike was supporting Satanism and created the ‘Satan Shoes’ which were made by MSCHF in collaboration with American singer Lil Nas X. Nike suffered disrepute and got granted a restraining order against MSCHF. Nike stated that MSCHF had agreed to remove the ‘Satan Shoes’ from circulation. Both parties settled for an undisclosed amount.

 MSCHF will offer to buy back the ‘Satan Shoes’ and the ‘Jesus Shoes’ from the customers for the retail price. However, MSCHF has stated that around 200 of pairs of ‘Satan Shoes’ has been shipped to the customers already before the settlement. Nike commented on that with saying the customers who do not wish to return the shoes should contact directly MSCHF, not Nike company.

MSCHF has also agreed to remove the ‘Jesus Shoes’ from circulation, which were customized by them in 2019. The shoes have been filled with blessed water, and the reason for making them was to let its customers to ‘walk on water.’

Nike confirmed again that the company was not involved in designing neither of those modified sneakers. MSCHF’s attorney, David H. Bernstein stated that the lawsuit has achieved MSCHF’s ‘artistic purpose’ and their intention was to call out the absurd of some designs that often raises a concern in collaborations in fashion world.

Lil Nas X was in a centre of attention because of his new music video to his latest single ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ and his collaboration with MSCHF on the ‘Satan Shoes.’ His single entered a second week at No. 1 on the UK top 40 chart. During the dispute he criticised Nike by stating on his Twitter account that ‘freedom of expression gone out of window.’ He was not involved in the case as a defendant. Lil Nas X planned to give the last pair of ‘Satan Shoes’ away to one of his fans but according to Bernstein, MSCHF aim is to keep it.

By Alicja Kuźba, student from the University of Portsmouth

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