Eddie Van Halen sues Nike

Eddie Van Halen, guitarist for rock band Van Halen, filed a lawsuit against Nike for copyright infringement over his trademark striped color scheme of his "Frankenstein" guitars.

According to MTV.com , ELVH, Van Halen's company, filed a cause of action for copyright infringement complaint last Friday in a Los Angeles court, alleging that the design of some Dunk Low sneakers matches that of Van Halen's famous guitars.

Citing "irreparable harm and damage," ELVH is asking for the impoundment and destruction of all the shoes in question, as well as all profits from the sale of the shoes and damages. In 2001 Van Halen received a copyright for the design on the body of his "Frankenstein" electric guitar.

Nike issued the following statement : "Based on the information provided to us, we have not infringed on any rights held by Mr. Van Halen. Nike's Dunk shoe design is not substantially similar to any of the Van Halen designs, and Nike has not referenced the 'Van Halen' name or image as part of any marketing campaign or promotional material associated with the shoe."

Van Halen recently released his own sneaker line featuring the red, black and white stripe design. And sneaker manufacturer Vans has been making officially licensed sneakers for music groups, including Kiss , Iron Maiden , Slayer and prog-metal act Mastodon .