Nike

[June 29th, 2005] For punk-rock fans, Minor Threat is about as pure as it gets. The band recorded some of the Reagan era's most enraged noise. And two decades after those salad days, Dischord Records, the independent label the band helped build, is still going strong.

To Nike , this week's Rogue, Minor Threat's hardcore legacy loomed as a mere marketing stepping stone. And the Beaverton-based sneaker giant's appropriation of the band's classic album cover art, logo and name had fans and band members seeing red.

Nike's skateboarding division launched a promotional tour last Saturday in Andover, Mass. The "Major Threat" tour features a squadron of pro skaters demonstrating tricks and signing gear. But that's not what has Internet message boards sizzling with anger.

Besides punning on the band's name, Nike's advertising virtually duplicated the grainy photo of singer Ian MacKaye's shaved head on the cover of Minor Threat's 1981 debut album. The only notable difference: MacKaye's battered combat boots have been replaced by Swoosh-emblazoned skate sneaks.

The Nike promo also "borrowed" the jagged font of the band's logo and the altered version of D.C.'s city flag that serves as a Dischord Records emblem.

"Simply put, Nike stole it and we're not happy about it," says a statement posted to Dischord's website. "To longtime fans...this must seem like just another familiar example of mainstream corporations attempting to assimilate underground culture to turn a buck." On Monday, MacKaye, 43, who co-owns Dischord and has performed with Fugazi since 1987, told MTV News that he and his former bandmates will meet to discuss legal options. On Monday, Nike Skateboarding finally apologized to Minor Threat and Dischord Records, calling its actions "a poor judgment call.''