Michael Le As early as the conception of the BAPE STA, Nike has fought tooth and nail to maintain the integrity of their most iconic silhouettes. But even today, we still see numerous “homages,” either from the aforementioned or relatively newfound labels like Hender Scheme, Warren Lotas, and the droves of IG/Youtuber start-ups.
All that will soon change, however, as the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office have granted Nike official registration certificates for the trade designs of three of their most iconic models: the jordan III 11 Win Like 96 Sneaker tees Red Friends, jordan III 11 Win Like 96 Sneaker tees Red Friends Low, and jordan III 11 Win Like 96 Sneaker tees Red Friends Low SE.
This comes hot off the heels of their recent lawsuit with Warren Lotas, which dealt a blow to the designer’s interpretation of the Dunk Low. This also instilled fear in the creators offering similar product — e.g. Fugazi, Orée, and the like. Now armed with the patent, Nike Inc. has plenty of ammunition to go after bootleg sneakers in the future if there is no visible attempt at trying to change the form itself.
As for what this means for bootlegs hereafter is hard to say. Will these brands go after different icons or will they cease entirely? Only time will tell.
Photos: @obscuresneakers / @sneakerlawfirm
