It looks like the United States Postal Service (USPS) is not happy with Nike’s plans to release its USPS-themed Air Force 1 Experimental.
The USPS released a statement on April 1st criticizing for its unauthorized use of its intellectual property and for “[leveraging] another brand for its own gain.” Though no actual USPS logos are used on the shoe, a label on the heel bares resemblance to the postal service’s Priority Mail labeling.
Nike is also currently protecting its own intellectual property by suing MSCHF for its “unauthorized” Air Max 97 Satan Shoes, created in partnership with Lil Nas X. Though MSCHF made it clear that Nike was in now way involved with the “Satan Shoes,” the court has granted Nike a temporary restraining order against the Brooklyn-based art collective. MSCHF released their own statement defending their 1st amendment right of freedom of expression.
The Nike Air Force 1 Experimental “USPS” was expected to release sometime this summer, though it is possible that this release will now get cancelled. Read the USPS’s full statement below and stay tuned to Modern Notoriety for updates on this release.
“The Nike Air Force 1 USPS” Experimental shoe is neither licensed nor otherwise authorized by the U.S. Postal Service
The Postal Service, which receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations, protects its intellectual property. Officially licensed products sold in the marketplace expand the affinity for the Postal Service brand and provide incremental revenue through royalties that directly support it. Sales of unauthorized and unlicensed products deny support to the hardworking women and men of the Postal Service.
This is an unfortunate situation where a large brand such as Nike, which aggressively protects its own intellectual property, has chosen to leverage another brand for its own gain. The Postal Service is disappointed in Nike’s lack of response to repeated attempts to come to a solution. The Postal Service will take whatever actions it deems necessary to protect its valuable IP rights.