An interesting correspondence:
Nike now lets you personalize your shoes by submitting
a word or phrase which they will stitch onto your
shoes, under the swoosh. So Jonah Peretti filled out
the form and sent them $50 to stitch "SWEATSHOP" onto
his shoes. Here's the responses he got...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" peretti@media.mit.edu
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled for one or more of
the following reasons:
1) Your Personal iD contains another party's trademark
or other intellectual property
2) Your Personal iD contains the name of an athlete or
team we do not have the legal right to use
3) Your Personal iD was left blank. Did you not want
any personalization?
4) Your Personal iD contains profanity or
inappropriate slang, and besides, your mother would
slap us.
If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new
personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
peretti@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Greetings,
My order was canceled but my personal NIKE iD does not
violate any of the criteria outlined in your message.
The Personal iD on my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes
was the word "sweatshop."
Sweatshop is not:
1) another's party's trademark,
2) the name of an athlete,
3) blank, or
4) profanity.
I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil
and labor of the children that made my shoes. Could
you please ship them to me immediately.
Thanks and Happy New Year, Jonah Peretti
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'"
peretti@media.mit.edu
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled because the iD you
have chosen contains, as stated in the previous e-mail
correspondence, "inappropriate slang". If you wish to
reorder your NIKE iD product with a new
personalization please visit us again at nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
peretti@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry about
my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes. Although I
commend you for your prompt customer service, I
disagree with the claim that my personal iD was
inappropriate slang. After consulting Webster's
Dictionary, I discovered that "sweatshop" is in fact
part of standard English, and not slang.
The word means: "a shop or factory in which workers
are employed for long hours at low wages and under
unhealthy conditions" and its origin dates from 1892.
So my personal iD does meet the criteria detailed in
your first email.
Your web site advertises that the NIKE iD program is
"about freedom to choose and freedom to express who
you are." I share Nike's love of freedom and personal
expression. The site also says that "If you want it
done right...build it yourself." I was thrilled to be
able to build my own shoes, and my personal iD was
offered as a small token of appreciation for the
sweatshop workers poised to help me realize my vision.
I hope that you will value my freedom of expression
and reconsider your decision to reject my order.
Thank you, Jonah Peretti
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'"
peretti@media.mit.edu
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Regarding the rules for personalization it also states
on the NIKE iD web site that "Nike reserves the right
to cancel any personal iD up to 24 hours after it has
been submitted". In addition, it further explains:
"While we honor most personal iDs, we cannot honor
every one. Some may be (or contain) other's
trademarks, or the names of certain professional
sports teams, athletes or celebrities that Nike does
not have the right to use. Others may contain material
that we consider inappropriate or simply do not want
to place on our products. Unfortunately, at times
this obliges us to decline personal iDs that may
otherwise seem unobjectionable. In any event, we will
let you know if we decline your personal iD, and we
will offer you the chance to submit another."
With these rules in mind, we cannot accept your order
as submitted. If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD
product with a new personalization please visit us
again at www.nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
peretti@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for the time and energy you have spent on my
request. I have decided to order the shoes with a
different iD, but I would like to make one small
request. Could you please send me a color snapshot of
the ten-year-old Vietnamese girl who makes my shoes?
Thanks,
Jonah Peretti
<no response>
Nike now lets you personalize your shoes by submitting
a word or phrase which they will stitch onto your
shoes, under the swoosh. So Jonah Peretti filled out
the form and sent them $50 to stitch "SWEATSHOP" onto
his shoes. Here's the responses he got...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" peretti@media.mit.edu
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled for one or more of
the following reasons:
1) Your Personal iD contains another party's trademark
or other intellectual property
2) Your Personal iD contains the name of an athlete or
team we do not have the legal right to use
3) Your Personal iD was left blank. Did you not want
any personalization?
4) Your Personal iD contains profanity or
inappropriate slang, and besides, your mother would
slap us.
If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new
personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
peretti@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Greetings,
My order was canceled but my personal NIKE iD does not
violate any of the criteria outlined in your message.
The Personal iD on my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes
was the word "sweatshop."
Sweatshop is not:
1) another's party's trademark,
2) the name of an athlete,
3) blank, or
4) profanity.
I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil
and labor of the children that made my shoes. Could
you please ship them to me immediately.
Thanks and Happy New Year, Jonah Peretti
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'"
peretti@media.mit.edu
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled because the iD you
have chosen contains, as stated in the previous e-mail
correspondence, "inappropriate slang". If you wish to
reorder your NIKE iD product with a new
personalization please visit us again at nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
peretti@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry about
my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes. Although I
commend you for your prompt customer service, I
disagree with the claim that my personal iD was
inappropriate slang. After consulting Webster's
Dictionary, I discovered that "sweatshop" is in fact
part of standard English, and not slang.
The word means: "a shop or factory in which workers
are employed for long hours at low wages and under
unhealthy conditions" and its origin dates from 1892.
So my personal iD does meet the criteria detailed in
your first email.
Your web site advertises that the NIKE iD program is
"about freedom to choose and freedom to express who
you are." I share Nike's love of freedom and personal
expression. The site also says that "If you want it
done right...build it yourself." I was thrilled to be
able to build my own shoes, and my personal iD was
offered as a small token of appreciation for the
sweatshop workers poised to help me realize my vision.
I hope that you will value my freedom of expression
and reconsider your decision to reject my order.
Thank you, Jonah Peretti
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'"
peretti@media.mit.edu
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Regarding the rules for personalization it also states
on the NIKE iD web site that "Nike reserves the right
to cancel any personal iD up to 24 hours after it has
been submitted". In addition, it further explains:
"While we honor most personal iDs, we cannot honor
every one. Some may be (or contain) other's
trademarks, or the names of certain professional
sports teams, athletes or celebrities that Nike does
not have the right to use. Others may contain material
that we consider inappropriate or simply do not want
to place on our products. Unfortunately, at times
this obliges us to decline personal iDs that may
otherwise seem unobjectionable. In any event, we will
let you know if we decline your personal iD, and we
will offer you the chance to submit another."
With these rules in mind, we cannot accept your order
as submitted. If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD
product with a new personalization please visit us
again at www.nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD
From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
peretti@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
nikeid_personalize@nike.com
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for the time and energy you have spent on my
request. I have decided to order the shoes with a
different iD, but I would like to make one small
request. Could you please send me a color snapshot of
the ten-year-old Vietnamese girl who makes my shoes?
Thanks,
Jonah Peretti
<no response>
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