Nike = Major Threat...Please Boycott!

For anyone who appreciates REAL culture vs FAKE/THINK-TANKED/MARKET-RESEARCHED/CORP-ADVERTISEMENT culture and who even might have listened to real punk rock, should be greatly offended...NIKE is trying to steal its way into alternative skate-culture without paying a penny to those who were the pioneers...the hypocrisy!

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Nike Campaign "Borrows" Album Art

Rob Kleckner reports:
Exhibit A: Classic cover art of Minor Threat's self-titled 1984 compilation.
Exhibit B: Nike Skateboarding's poster image for its "Major Threat" 2005 East Coast Tour.

You don't need a degree in graphic design to notice the similarities here. They're the fucking same. Oh, wait-- one is blue, not red, one says Major, not Minor, and, uh, okay, there are some Nike logos tossed in there. It sort of brings to mind that old interview in which Vanilla Ice attempted to defend the difference between "Ice Ice Baby" and "Under Pressure" ("dun dun dun duh-duh-duh dun" vs. "DUN dun dun dun duh-duh-duh dun").

Come on, Nike, your Swoosh is one of the most iconic brand images in the world-- perhaps a tiny notch below the Golden Arches and maybe Coca-Cola. We understand that trading on the image of a legitimately punk rock, anti-corporate institution will lend some desperately needed credibility to your marketing campaign for the hearts of adolescent skate kids. But doesn't knowing full well that that institution-- in this case the venerable Dischord Records-- would never grant you permission for the use of that image, and just steamrolling the fuck over them anyway because your lawyers can beat up their lawyers negate the very ideals with which you're attempting to equate yourselves? I mean, there's unethical and then there's just flat-out mercenary.

Just to make sure Dischord hadn't truly gone back on everything they've ever stood for, we asked a representative from the label if Nike had asked to borrow the image. They said the following: "No, they stole it and we're not happy about it. Nike is a giant corporation which is attempting to manipulate the alternative skate culture to create an even wider demand for their already ubiquitous brand. Nike represents just about the antithesis of what Dischord stands for and it makes me sick to my stomach to think they are using this explicit imagery to fool kids into thinking that the general ethos of this label, and Minor Threat in particular, can somehow be linked to Nike's mission. It's disgusting."

Though the label is not sure as to what action they're planning to take, they are definitely not happy with Nike's choice. We'll keep you updated as we learn more about the situation.

* Nike Skateboarding
* Dischord Records

Oregon which, I must confess, I'm more interested in than skate culture at this point.

Dischord should send Nike a "cease and desist" if they are not happy.

and not give them free publicity.