Nike has filed a federal lawsuit against the company that collaborated with rapper Lil Nas X for its customized Satan-themed Air Max 97.
The sneaker company filed the lawsuit on Monday against Brooklyn-based organization MSCHF Product Studio Inc. The company allegedly committed trademark infringement by customizing the Nike Air Max 97, which features a bronze pentagram, an inverted cross, and a single drop of real human blood. MSCHF only produced 666 pairs of the sneaker, priced at $1,018 per pair. The shoes sold out within one minute of their release.
The shoes align with the release of Lil Nas X’s controversial new music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name.)” The spicy visual has stirred up think pieces across the net for its hell-themed symbolism. Many users have vowed never to support X nor buy Nike’s again. However, the company is adamant that they were not involved in the collaboration between the Grammy Awards winner and the U.S art collective.
“We do not have a relationship with Lil Nas or MSCHF. Nike did not design or release these shoes, and we do not endorse them,” the company stated to CNN.
In the lawsuit, Nike says that the sneakers were “done without Nike’s approval or authorization, and Nike is in no way connected with this project.” The immense social media scrutiny was also mentioned in the suit documents.
Nike is requesting punitive damages as well as a federal judge order to have the shoes destroyed. They are also seeking any profits that MSCHF earned from the sales of the shoes.
Known for being a troll on Twitter, the “Old Town Road” star responded to the lawsuit in true Lil Nas X fashion by tweeting a gif of Squidward begging to change with the caption, “me after the Nike lawsuit.”
