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- What industry do you work in and what is your role?
- What are your responses in your role / position?
- Can you describe to the function of your workplace / company?
- How many departments, how many offices. National or International?
- What are the minimum requirements for employment ie Education or Experience?
- How many opportunities are there to ‘move up the ladder’?
- What is the process for changing job roles ie Interview? Test?
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General discussion about your workweek:
- Current projects? Deadlines? Opportunities?
- Anything of interest happening?
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Script
1. Nike is suing Mschf, accusing it of trademark infringement over the retail startup’s “Satan Shoes.”
- Mschf collaborated with Lil Nas X for the shoe, which sold out in under one minute on Monday.
- The shoe looks like a modified Nike Air Max 97 and includes the brand’s trademarked Swoosh.
2. Nike filed a lawsuit against Mschf over its “Satan Shoes,” which were made in collaboration with the rapper Lil Nas X. Nike accused Mschf of trademark infringement after it appeared to use the Air Max 97 shoe for inspiration for its Satan Shoes, which add red ink and a drop of human blood to the midsole. Mschf collaborated with Lil Nas X for the sneaker around the release of his song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”
3. The retail giant said Mschf’s “unauthorized” Nike-inspired shoe confused consumers into thinking Nike had created the product. Nike also alleged Mschf’s use of the company’s trademarked “Swoosh” confused and misled consumers. Nike said customers had called for a boycott of the company over Mschf’s shoe. The basketball player Nick Young tweeted he debated wearing Nike after the announcement of the Satan Shoes.
4. “Nike files this lawsuit to maintain control of its brand, to protect its intellectual property, and to clear the confusion and dilution in the marketplace by setting the record straight — Nike has not and does not approve or authorize MSCHF’s customized Satan Shoes,” the suit said. Mschf was not immediately available for comment. Nike is requesting that Mschf pay for the cost of the suit and lawyer fees on top of damages, as it alleged it suffered harm to its reputation that “money cannot compensate.”
5. The company also alleged it had suffered “significant harm to its goodwill, including among consumers who believe that Nike is endorsing satanism.” Nike asked the court to order Mschf to deliver all products that bear resemblance to Nike products for destruction. The Satan Shoes sold out in under one minute, Mschf told Insider Monday morning. Mschf released 666 pairs for $1,018 each as a nod to the Bible verse Luke 10:18, which says: “So He told them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'”
6. Nike previously told The New York Times the retailer had no involvement with the Mschf shoe. “We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF. Nike did not design or release these shoes, and we do not endorse them,” the company said in a statement to The Times. Mschf previously turned pairs of Nike Air Max 97s into Jesus-inspired sneakers filled with holy water that came from the Jordan River and was blessed by a priest, The Independent reported. The retailer sold one pair of the “Jesus Shoes” for $3,000.
7. Lil Nas X responded to the news of the suit with a meme, much like how he’d been responding to criticism of the song’s music video.
Discussion
1. What are your thoughts on this product? Would you ever consider boycotting a product? What would be reason enough?
2. Can you think of any products developed / released in Japan that was a source of controversy? What product and why?
3.
What products have been boycotted in Japan? For what reasons … political, religious, other?
Phonetic Chart
