John Geiger hasn’t been shy about publicizing his legal battle with Nike, and now the designer is turning the brand’s lawsuit against him into an NFT.
His eponymous brand announced the release its debut NFTs, the JG Lawsuit NFT, which will drop in Gold, Silver and Bronze editions. According to the company, the digital imagery will feature a copy of Nike’s lawsuit against Geiger, as well as the John Geiger GF-01 sneaker.
“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 momentum of its competition,” Geiger said in a statement. FN has reached out to Nike for comment.
Nike named Geiger as a defendant in a lawsuit in August 2021, expanding its initial complaint against footwear manufacturer La La Land Production & Design. According to the complaint, La La Land supplied Geiger with sneakers that were similar to the Nike Air Force 1, which infringed on certain trade dress elements for that product. Nike said that Geiger’s marketing and selling of the shoes intentionally created “confusion in the marketplace” and capitalized “on Nike’s reputation and the reputation of its iconic shoes.”
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In November 2021, a motion to dismiss was filed in a Central California District Court. At the time, Geiger’s lawyers argued that the designer’s GF-01 sneakers do not constitute trademark infringement or unfair competition to Nike because it is unlikely that consumers would mistake these shoes for Nike products.
On Feb. 8, the court denied the motion.
“After much research to understand the current and future landscapes of NFT and its community, we have taken this opportunity to create something special for our supporters to be owners of. Each NFT will have real world products and events to be unlocked along the journey,” John Geiger co-founder Sean Davis said in a statement.
According to the John Geiger Discord, only one Gold JG lawsuit NFT will ever be minted, and it will come with a Gold GF-01 art piece as well as a lawsuit signed by Geiger. There will be three Silver and one Bronze, with both coming with art pieces and signed lawsuits.
The dates and place the NFTs can be purchased have not yet been revealed.
