Nike is headed to court as it attempts to make clear it's not, in fact, selling sneakers containing human blood.
The company has filed a lawsuit against MSCHF Product Studio for trademark infringement after MSCHF teamed up with Lil Nas X to sell modified Nike sneakers called "Satan Shoes," CNN reports. A total of 666 pairs of these sneakers, which contain a drop of actual human blood in the sole and feature a pentagram pendant, were sold on Monday following the rapper's new music video, which depicts him going to hell and giving Satan a lap dance.
Previously, Nike tried to distance itself from the "Satan Shoes," noting it does "not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF" and that it "did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them." But Nike is now going further, in its lawsuit complaining that since the shoes were announced, "Nike has suffered significant harm to its goodwill, including among consumers who believe that Nike is endorsing satanism."
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MSCHF, which previously sold modified Nike sneakers as "Jesus Shoes," had noted to The New York Times that Nike wasn't involved in the making of the shoes in "any capacity." But Nike in its complaint says it's been facing calls for boycotts on social media despite its lack of involvement in the shoes. According to CNN, though, Lil Nas X himself wasn't named in the lawsuit.
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