In 2011, Nike enlisted the help of marketing company Ubi Bene to celebrate the French National Basketball team's entry into the European Championships by draping a famous statue with Tony Parker's jersey. Sounds harmless enough, right?
Unfortunately, the sculptor behind the Winston Churchill figure, Jean Cardot, wasn't pleased with what he called a defiling of his work and says Nike and Ubi Bene should have asked permission first.
Last month, a Paris court echoed Cardot's sentiments, stating that using his work for commercial gain could be considered defilement. The ruling called for both Nike and Ubi Bene to pay Cardot €67,500 ($74,267) compensation, which means the artist will walk away with nearly $150,000 in total. All that for a basketball jersey?