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."