Sneakers You Can’t Do That: A History of Nike Lawyers Giving Sneakers the Axe

Big news on the blogs today: Eddie Van Halen and his merch crew are suing Nike over a Dunk Low that looks like his Frankenstein guitar. Does it look like the iconic Van Halen print? Yes. Can they prove it? Doubtful. The lawsuit could potentially add a smidgen of press to promote the band’s next tour, but as far as money, chances of Eddie catching anything are low. What the suit will do, however, is likely get the sneakers taken off of shelves, removing a decent kick from the market. It’s no Nylon Dunk, but you know, for some kid out there, these are the perfect shoes to match his “Running with the Devil” T-shirt.

This whole process got us to thinking. Usually it’s Nike’s law team that is on the “taking sneakers off the shelf” tip. Whether it’s proactive to avoid a suit, or going after little guys trying to get a nut, their team is top notch, so it rarely comes to actual legal blows. Read on for some recent examples of the Swoosh cock-blocking the sneaker game because of a stupid little thing called “copyright laws”…