Customize Your Nikes - But Be Careful What You Say

from the damn-sweatshops dept

Tue, Jan 30th 2001 12:06pm — Mike Masnick

For a little while now, Nike has allowed people to create custom shoes on their website. Apparently you can have the shoes say whatever you want, so long as it's not a trademark, a profanity, or the name of an athlete. Well, now there's another rule: they can't say "Sweatshop" in reference to where the shoes will be made. An email exchange between a customer and Nike concerning whether or not Sweatshop can or cannot be put on shoes has been making the rounds.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

16 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Phillip, 30 Jan 2001 @ 6:37pm

Thanks to Mark Thomas
This is as a result of the Mark Thomas Comedy Product. He did a show where the usual Nike PR brainwashing tour to young children was turned on its head as the kids were shown what really happens and then encouraged to ask the PR representative why this was allowed to happen. The PR guy got crucified by the kids. The PR guy was then show some of the pictures of trainers the kids had designed... needless to say the colour drained out of his face. Hence the 'sweatshop' ban.

For those in the USA, you can think of Mark Thomas as a more cutting and raw version of Michael Moore. My favourite episode is where he went to an arms fair posing as a PR damage limitation guru and got dictators to confess on camera to torture etc which they had denied in writing to the UN. Fantastic stuff.

Phillip.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- mhh5, 30 Jan 2001 @ 7:22pm
  
  Re: Thanks to Mark Thomas
  I wonder if he tried variations... Like
  
  �pohstaews - sweatshop spelled backwards...
  �the mirror-image logo of the word 'sweatshop'
  �translations of 'sweatshop' in asian languages...
  
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Heath, 26 Aug 2004 @ 11:44am

where
yo I went to the nike site and I looked for where to custimize my shoes and I could not find it so if you'd email me and tell me where I candlo that it would be cool air force ones low tops that are made like newcastle brown ale
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Alessandra, 31 Jan 2005 @ 8:53am

I want to customize my air forces
Hello, my name is Alessandra Bauer. and i will like to customize some air forces like on the web site BALEERSTATUS.com

if you you go to www.hiphopgame.com/images/fashion/sneakers/cartoon4.jpg.

I'M WONDERING if you could do that how much would is cost me? If you could please e-mail as soon as you can at laprincesita14@yahoo.com
Thanks
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Sep 2006 @ 4:52am

fuck u bicthes ass hoes
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 26 Sep 2006 @ 9:14pm
  
  Re:
  u fukin agay ass puta u lil punk ass lame. u prbly fukin lil bustah uh?ima get u on da rebound homie ite alratoz
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
duke acosta, 26 Sep 2006 @ 9:12pm

GAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dat shyts fukin gay az hell dat we kant put none of dat shyt on da fukin shoe i mean cmon itz OUR shoe!!!!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
jhonny, 30 Sep 2006 @ 9:56am

song
me and my crew made a nike song and we wondered doo u want 2 hear it. if u do email me at jhonnyjizzel@hotmail.com and we will send u a tape of it . it s tite.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Rayu, 21 Feb 2007 @ 11:26am

shoes
custome shoe
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2007 @ 1:11pm

rtwfdb
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kieran Vizzard, 6 Mar 2007 @ 3:56am

fit shoes
it fukin shite im gna shag all der nans 4 da cheek
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kieran Vizzard, 6 Mar 2007 @ 3:56am

fit shoes
it fukin shite im gna shag all der nans 4 da cheek
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
liam coate, 6 Mar 2007 @ 3:58am

i got mole mole mole mole mole mole mole on my trainers because thats wats its all about
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Lewis Tumelty, 6 Mar 2007 @ 4:01am

ese a fat dumbo prick lol
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
chastity, 16 May 2007 @ 9:24am

yo props
yo these shoes is raw so i just thougt i would give you some props aight one
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- chastity, 25 Jul 2007 @ 11:20am
  
  Re: yo props
  that was me
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]