Even though corporate behemoth Nike has been busy destroying tapes for LeBron James and going toe-to-toe with Eddie Van Halen, there’s always time to entertain another lawsuit.
The latest plaintiff is one Heather Langendorfer, the founder/proprietor of Atalanta Athletic Ware, which produces a “running skirt” of sorts. While Langendorfer has been using “Does this skirt make my butt look fast?” as the slogan for her bottom-wear for a while, Nike soon after started hawking its own t-shirts that read, “Does this shirt make my butt look fast?”
Well, thanks to Vanilla Ice’s classic defense that the “Ice Ice Baby” riff sounded nothing like the one from Queen’s “Under Pressure”, Nike hasn’t the sturdiest precedent to rely on. The case has moved up to federal court, with Langendorfer suing for trademark infringement, counterfeiting and unfair competition among other things.