Whether or not John Geiger is able to prevail in his legal battle with Nike remains to be seen, but the custom sneaker designer has already shown himself to be the most obstinate of opponents.
Geiger has announced he’s launching his first NFTs, and he’ll be doing so by using the very lawsuit Nike filed against him. Up for minting is Geiger’s GF-01 sneaker, the Air Force 1-lookalike that drew legal action, in gold, silver, and bronze. Each token will be accompanied by a physical version of the respective sneaker intended as a piece of art — as well as a copy of Nike’s lawsuit signed by Geiger.
“The JG Lawsuit NFT will harness our lawsuit versus Nike, which has created even more of a loyal following as Nike continues to engage in frivolous lawsuits that seem to only be put forth to slow down the momentum of its competition,” Geiger said in a release.
The latest in Nike’s suit —
Last week, a judge rejected Geiger’s motion to have Nike’s lawsuit against him dismissed. Geiger had argued that Nike couldn’t make a trademark claim because the dress of his sneakers and Nike’s are primarily functional and lack distinctiveness. Nike’s position was upheld by the judge, saying the company had made an adequate claim for “the total composition of the AF1 sneakers” as “nonfunctional” and allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
Nike added Geiger as a co-defendant in August in an existing suit against La La Land Production and Design Inc., manufacturer for Geiger and Warren Lotas. The latter designer reached a settlement with Nike over his bootleg Dunks, but Nike’s targeting of La La Land shows its intent to hold all parties involved responsible.
Geiger is accused of “marketing and selling shoes using Nike’s registered Air Force 1 trade dress” with his GF-01 sneakers, which Nike argues “knowingly and intentionally creates confusion in the marketplace and capitalizes on Nike’s reputation and the reputation of its iconic shoes.”
Geiger has been steadfast in his public repudiations against Nike’s suit and, with his NFTs, doesn’t seem to be afraid of provoking the sportswear giant further. He’s launched a Discord Server where updates will be given for how to purchase his first NFTs — assuming, of course, that Nike isn’t able to shut it down the sale before it even gets going.
