I heard about this a

I heard about this a while back and was dead chuffed to get the following forwarded to me today…

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>

Thanks Gill!