It is a rare occasion when several of my interests line up ... but that has happened this week. First and foremost, I am a sneakerhead - a sneakerfreak - a sneakerologist - whatever you want to call it. I am also a fan of music, namely great guitar players - and being a child of the 80's, Eddie Van Halen is one of the first names that comes to mind when asked to name great guitarists. Well, sneakers and Eddie Van have collided, as the rocker is suing Nike (NYSE: NKE) for using his "Frankenstrat" guitar's color scheme in a pair of shoes without his permission.Nike has created a design for a pair of its Dunk Low sneakers that has a red sole on a black show, with white and black diagonal stripes decorating the sole. Eddie contends that this design has caused "irreparable harm and damage" to his design, which he trademarked back in 2001. According to Nike, "Nike's Dunk shoe design is not substantially similar to any of the Van Halen designs, and Nike has not referenced the 'Van Halen' name or image as part of any marketing campaign or promotional material associated with the shoe."
I have to agree with Nike here. Yes, the shoes use the same color scheme that Eddie uses on his guitar; but so do the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Cincinnati Reds, the Atlanta Falcons, and several more sports teams. I don't see Eddie suing any of them. Want to know why? Because Eddie isn't starting a basketball, hockey, or baseball team; he is starting a shoe company - and as Rolling Stone says, the EVH Shoes "look suspiciously like Converse All-Stars, so unless there's an official deal in place, he could potentially find himself on the opposite end of a lawsuit soon." You see, Eddie wants his name in the public, just so people will think he is relevant again. Any kind of publicity gets people talking, good or bad. And if people are talking, then they will want to know what is going on. You see, Eddie likes the attention and will do what he can to get it --- even if it is re-hiring Diamond Dave simply to fire him before a tour kicks off, or plugging his 15-year-old son in as his band's bassist. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if part of this lawsuit stems from the fact that ex-Van Halen members have started a new band: Chickenfoot.
The problem here is that someone actually allowed another person to copyright a color scheme - this is what led to this ridiculous lawsuit. This is nothing more than a publicity stunt for Van Halen and his new shoe company. His mistake is that he has picked on Nike, who will not back down simply because Eddie can play the guitar and has his lawyer on speed dial.
Unfortunately, I think I just played into Eddie's hands. Well, like Alex Karas said in Blazing Saddles I "am only pawn in chess game of life."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-19-2009 @ 10:32PM
Chandra said...
This is not the first time Eddie Van Halen has tried to muscle in on someone else's good idea. Back in 1984, this same low-life piece of fecal matter had a security goon threaten then-opening act Autograph's guitarist Steve Lynch with broken fingers because Mr. Lynch taught him (for free, no less) how to two-handed tap his guitar and he wanted the credit for it. Eddie Van Halen is a low-down piece of crap and I will never give him another cent. Not that I love Nike for that matter, mind you, but come on, it's a color scheme!! Get over it, you sour old has-been, you. Anything for a buck, I guess.