A federal judge on Thursday sided with Nike Inc in ordering a Brooklyn company to temporarily stop further sales of âSatan Shoesâ it produced in collaboration with the rapper Lil Nas X.
U.S. District Judge Eric Komitee in Brooklyn ruled three days after Nike sued MSCHF Product Studio Inc, claiming that the black-and-red, devil-themed sneakers, which carry the Nike âswooshâ logo, infringed its trademarks.
The sneakers are customized versions of the Nike Air Max 97 sneakers that purport to contain one drop of human blood in the midsoles, and are printed with âLuke 10:18,â a biblical passage referring to Satanâs fall from heaven.
Only 666 pairs, costing $1,018 each, were made. Lil Nas X, known for the song âOld Town Road,â was planning to select who gets the 666th pair, but that plan was shelved following Nikeâs lawsuit filed on Monday. He is not a defendant in the case.
Lawyers for Nike and MSCHF had no immediate comment or did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
MSCHFâs lawyers said Satan Shoes were ânot typical sneakers, but rather individually-numbered works of art,â following on the companyâs âJesus Shoesâ based on the same Nike model in 2019.
They said a temporary restraining order was unnecessary because shoe buyers would not think Nike was involved, and all but the 666th pair had already been sold and no more were being made.
Nikeâs lawyers, in contrast, said âeven âsneakerheadsâ were actually confused by MSCHFâs shoes,â and MSCHF had a âhistoryâ of shipping infringing shoes faster than courts could stop it.
Lil Nas X last month released a devil-themed video for his song âMontero (Call Me By Your Name).â
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)
