Nike scores legal victory against Lil Nas X’s ‘Satan Shoes’

Nike scored a victory Thursday in its legal battle against the “Satan Shoes” that put its brand through hell this week.

A Brooklyn federal judge granted the sportswear giant’s request to block the self-described art collective MSCHF from fulfilling any orders for the demonic sneakers it released with hip-hop superstar Lil Nas X.

But that ship has already sailed down the proverbial River Styx because all but one of the pairs MSCHF produced are already on the way to their new owners, according to the studio’s attorney.

In fact, the Brooklyn-based firm had sent out at least 200 pairs by the time Nike formally requested a temporary restraining order to block further shipments on Tuesday, MSCHF lawyer Megan K. Bannigan said.

“All of the shoes that were sold and that have been sold in this limited edition have already gone out,” she said during a Thursday telephone hearing.

The studio’s quick shipping prompted Nike to ask US District Judge Eric Komitee to order a recall of the customized Air Max 97 sneakers, which prominently feature the company’s iconic swoosh logo and purportedly contain a drop of human blood.

But Judge Komitee did not indicate he would go that far, saying he was issuing the restraining order “simply to maintain the status quo” while Nike’s lawsuit proceeds.

His decision will prevent MSCHF from giving away the final pair of Satan Shoes that it wanted to raffle off this week as the sneakers sparked a religious panic and boycott threats against Nike. The firm put those plans on hold amid the legal battle, Bannigan said.

Judge Komitee ruled that Nike was likely to succeed in a case that appears poised to pit the Oregon-based company’s right to protect its famous trademarks against MSCHF’s claims to artistic license.

MSCHF says the Satan Shoes are a commentary on the “collab culture” that’s led major brands like Nike to partner with anyone willing to “make a splash,” as Bannigan put it. 

They’re meant as a companion piece to the holy water-infused “Jesus Shoes” the studio released in 2019 — both collectors’ items that buyers put on display and don’t actually wear, she said.

“The criticism here with respect to collabs — these collaborations have gotten so ridiculous, we’re going to go right to the source and we’re going to collaborate with Jesus and we’re going to collaborate with Satan,” Bannigan said.

But Nike lawyer Michael J. Harris called that a manufactured explanation that didn’t prevent consumers from incorrectly thinking the brand was endorsing Satanism.

He also pointed out that MSCHF apparently sent a pair of Satan Shoes to pop star Miley Cyrus, who tweeted photos of herself wearing them on her feet.

MSCHF is “not free to materially alter sneakers with Nike’s famous marks,” Harris said during Thursday’s hearing. “None of the promotional materials refer to or suggest that these shoes are meant to be an expressive work of art.”