Nike Suing Lil Nas X Over Satan Shoes

Savas Abadsidis March 29, 2021

Nike filed a trademark lawsuit against the company selling Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes,” arguing the swoosh on the controversial shoe violates its trademark and damages its brand.

CBS News: “The shoes, a collaboration between Lil Nas X and the New York-based art collective MSCHF, are modified versions of Nike Air Max 97s — and the brand’s signature “SWOOSH” is featured prominently on the side of the shoe and on its tongue. The shoes, which sold out in minutes, cost $1,018 — a reference to the Bible passage Luke 10:18, which reads “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

The shoes old out in minutes.

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A post shared by Lil Nas X (@lilnasx)

Filed the same day as the release of the shoes, that feature a bronze pentagram, the number “666” and a small amount of human blood, the shoes’ satanic imagery drew strong reactions online — including from South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who shared an image of the shoes alongside a warning that “we’re in a fight for the soul of our nation.”

Our kids are being told that this kind of product is, not only okay, it’s “exclusive.” But do you know what’s more exclusive? Their God-given eternal soul.
We are in a fight for the soul of our nation. We need to fight hard. And we need to fight smart. We have to win. https://t.co/m1k1YWFpuo
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) March 28, 2021

Referencing the controversy in its filing, Nike said: “The shoes are “likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF’s products and Nike,” alleging that there’s “already evidence of significant confusion and dilution occurring in the marketplace, including calls to boycott Nike in response to the launch of MSCHF’s Satan Shoes based on the mistaken belief that Nike has authorized or approved this product.”

This isn’t the first time MSCHF has released modified Nikes. In 2019, the company dropped “Jesus Shoes,” a pair of Air Max 97s modified with holy water and a golden crucifix. The release of the Satan Shoes is tied to Lil Nas X’s new song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).”

Lil Nas X addressed the lawsuit on Twitter, posting a “SpongeBob SquarePants” meme of a character begging for money with the caption “me after the nike lawsuit.” The artist is not named as a defendant in the suit.