The red, white, and black "Frankenstrat" splatter design of Eddie Van Halen's Fender Stratocaster is so closely associated with the guitar great, that in 2001, he had the pattern trademarked. Now he is suing Nike, alleging that they used the pattern on on eof their Dunk Lows sneakers. In the lawsuit, Eddie's attorneys claim that the NYX sneaker did "irreparable harm and damage" to his design. He is seeking both monetary retribution and "the impoundment and destruction of all footwear." A Nike spokesman responded to the suit by saying "Nike's Dunk shoe design is not substantially similar to any of the Van Halen designs, and Nike has not referenced the 'Van Halen' name or image as part of any marketing campaign or promotional material associated with the shoe." The suit comes a little over a month after Van Halen released his own line of shoes featuring the Frankenstrat pattern. Ironically, his shoes are awfully similar to Converse All Stars, and there are rumors that Converse is considering taking its own legal action.
-- Edited by newsbot on Thursday 18th of June 2009 10:09:13 AM