Nike has sued Dominic Ciambrone, better known as The Shoe Surgeon, for copying designs and using the Nike trademark. In the past, Nike has filed lawsuits against Warren Lotas, BAPE, and John Greiger for the same reasons. These lawsuits each reached settlements and now it is The Shoe Surgeon's turn.
The Shoe Surgeon
Custom sneaker designer The Shoe Surgeon (@theshoesurgeon) is a well-known name among sneaker lovers. The Los Angeles-based designer is known for his luxurious designs inspired by Nike sneakers. From the Dior x Air Jordan 1 High to the Wu-Tang Clan x Nike Dunk High - every iconic sneaker seems to have been redesigned by Ciambrone.
In designing his creations, The Shoe Surgeon never sought approval from Nike. In his career, the designer has designed sneakers for names such as LeBron James, Justin Bieber, and the Real Madrid soccer team. With price tags of $10,000 for some designs, he has made considerable money from them.
Nike sues
According to court documents, Nike sent the designer multiple complaints for using the trademark. After many attempts to "privately resolve the matter," as Nike describes the situation, the brand has nevertheless now filed a lawsuit against The Shoe Surgeon regarding more than 30 Nike trademarks.
In a statement, Nike announced that it had a problem not only with the use of their brand and designs but also with the fact that Ciambrone holds workshops to teach people how to counterfeit their trademarks. In addition, Nike claims that The Shoe Surgeon removed designs from its website and sold them through other channels.
Nike informed Hypebeast that the team is sorry it had to come to this. Nike had been working with The Shoe Surgeon on some projects for sponsored athletes for quite some time. After years of trying to resolve the issues internally, The Shoe Surgeon continued to scale up his activities while allegedly promising to respect Nike's IP rights.
This is not the first time The Shoe Surgeon has had to appear in court. Recently, French fashion house Goyard sued the designer for using the iconic monogram on its designs without permission.
The Shoe Surgeon has not yet responded to the lawsuit. Keep an eye on the Sneakerjagers news page for updates regarding this lawsuit.
