vockins wrote:There's also a big difference between a metaphor and taking a shit on your keyboard.

Vockins, unless I'm misreading your tone, this comment is out of line.

Mayfair wrote:OK, we should make one thing straight.... making money or being a business is not by definition equivalent with greed. YOU make money I bet (unless you have some sort of trust fund). You pay bills, yes? Rent/mortgage? Were those shoes on your feet free? How bout that guitar amplifier? Do you consider yourself greedy? Businesses are in business to make money. That is not an inherent bad thing. I will name a few successful business that charge money for their services and do not do it to just break even.... Audio Technica, Electrical Audio, Nike, Coke, the family owned market on your corner. I am not republican but I certainly do not see business as an evil. Yes, some businesses can act evil. Sure, Nike may be one of them. So is it Nike you all have a problem with or the practice of appropriating the image? Again, I give you the example of the Fluid adopting Coke's logo to make their own. You gotta moral problem with that?

The issue here is the EXPLOITATION of the image with out consent. That is flat out wrong no matter who you are.

I'm certainly not going to bestow any new wisdom upon this matter, but I'm going to put my 2 cents in, nonetheless.
I work in an off-shoot of the ad agency, and in the past 5 years of doing so, I am still amazed at the idiocy and the complete lack of talent that any of these assholes display on a daily basis. And if it's not the agency displaying said qualities, it's their client.
Personally, I'm not surprised by this ad. Everything in advertising is a complete rip-off. Whether it's music, design, or a complete copy of someone else's campaign, it's all done by hacks.
Did they legally do anything wrong? Well, both Nike and Wieden & Kennedy (the ad agency...whose phone numbers are (503)937-7000 in Portland and (917)661-5200 in New York) have a gaggle of lawyers working for them, so I'm pretty sure they covered their asses, legally speaking. Ethically? Well, I doubt anyone has ever accused anyone in advertising to be setting the bar in moral standards.

alipang wrote:Well, both Nike and Wieden & Kennedy have a gaggle of lawyers working for them, so I'm pretty sure they covered their asses, legally speaking.

I think that Nike is in a relatively poor spot, legally speaking, but they wouldn't be liable for severe damages at this point (at least by Nike's financial standards).

My guess is that this one will settle with Nike: (i) agreeing not to produce or distribute any more copies of the artwork; and (ii) making a donation to a charity of Dischord's choice.

Call me crazy, but that sounds about right.

Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:My guess is that this one will settle with Nike: (i) agreeing not to produce or distribute any more copies of the artwork; and (ii) making a donation to a charity of Dischord's choice.

Call me crazy, but that sounds about right.

the funny thing about this is, if it works out like you envision, then absolutely everybody wins. the charity gets a bunch of money from assface nike, which is great. Dischord maintains their cred. nike gets a ton of publicity, putting them into the subconscious minds of all of us non-nike-buying individuals, which is probably worth more than the donation that they make. so it's kinda like, nobody loses.

From Nike...

To Minor Threat, Dischord Records and fans of both

Re: Major Threat East Coast Tour Poster

Nike Skateboarding sincerely apologizes for the creation of a tour poster inspired by Minor Threat's album cover. Despite rumors being circulated, Wieden & Kennedy and Odopod had nothing to do with the creation of this tour poster and should not be held accountable. To set the record straight, Nike Skateboarding's "Major Threat" Tour poster was designed, executed and promoted by skateboarders, for skateboarders. All of the Nike employees responsible for the creation of the tour flyer are fans of both Minor Threat and Dischord records and have nothing but respect for both.

Minor Threat's music and iconographic album cover have been an inspiration to countless skateboarders since the album came out in 1984. And for the members of the Nike Skateboarding staff, this is no different. Because of the album's strong imagery and because our East Coast tour ends in Washington DC, we felt that it was a perfect fit. This was a poor judgment call and should not have been executed without consulting Minor Threat and Dischord Records.

We apologize for any problems this may have caused, and want to make very clear that we have no relationship with the members of Minor Threat, Dischord Records and they have not endorsed our products.

Every effort has been made to remove and dispose of all flyers (both print and digital). Again, Nike Skateboarding sincerely apologizes to Minor Threat and Dischord Records.

Sincerely,
Nike Skateboarding

LIAM wrote:To set the record straight, Nike Skateboarding's "Major Threat" Tour poster was designed, executed and promoted by skateboarders, for skateboarders.

LIAM wrote:All of the Nike employees responsible for the creation of the tour flyer

Cock.

I always knew those Minor Threat guys were sell outs.

My turn.

I would hate to be that bothered buy a company or band or anything that it would stop me buying there stuff.

There are some Nike gear thats shit. i wouldnt buy it.
There is a lot that i like and i would buy it.

Do you not buy something because you like it?

I love reading about you guys who get all wound up and angry about this kind of stuff.

Shut the fuck up and have a solero.

rysie wrote:I love reading about you guys who get all wound up and angry about this kind of stuff.

Rysie, you are a truly liberated individual.