Image via Nike
Nike may soon have legal problems with the United States Postal Service (USPS) due to one of its upcoming Air Force 1 styles that resembles the agency’s shipping boxes.
The shoe that caught the attention of the postal service was the next Air Force 1 Experimental, pictured here. It features design tips obviously borrowed from several USPS priority mailboxes, including the signature red, white and blue color scheme and a shipping label attached to the heel. However, there are no official postal service logos on the shoe.
This week, the post office issued a statement saying that it does not receive any tax funds for its operating expenses and depends on the sale of postcards, products and services to finance its day-to-day operations. In addition, they claim that sales of unauthorized and unlicensed products like this Air Force 1 Experimental deny support for women and men who work hard at the company. The postal service also challenged the sportswear brand’s position in protecting its intellectual property, as Nike recently filed its own lawsuit against the Brooklyn MSCHF collective for launching a custom Air Max 97 with the Satan theme in collaboration with the rapper Lil Nas X.
“This is an unfortunate situation where a major brand like Nike, which aggressively protects its own intellectual property, has chosen to leverage another brand for its own gain,” the USPS said in a statement. “The Post Office is disappointed with Nike’s lack of response to repeated attempts to come up with a solution. The Postal Service will take all measures it deems necessary to protect your valuable IP rights. “
At the time of publication, Nike did not make a statement regarding its next Air Force 1 Experimental launch. To read the full USPS statement on footwear, click here.
Related articles
More complex
Sign up for Complex Newsletter for breaking news, events and exclusive stories.
follow Complex on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok