Back to the Future (1985): Marty McFly’s Nike Sneakers

Marty wears a beat-up pair of Nike Bruins:

“No, you and Jennifer turn out fine. It’s your kicks – something’s gotta be done about your kicks!”

BTTF II: Nike Mags Design Patent Drawings

These appear to have been filed by Nike in 1990, and granted in 1992. I don’t know if they are still valid. They have an initial term of 14 years. They may have expired, they may have been renewed, or they may have been superseded by new design patents, or protected by changes in patent law. Design patents only protect the ‘look’ of an item, they have nothing to do with functions, use or technology. These do not related to the ‘functional’ mechanisms of the shoes (lights, laces). Note also that they do not cover all aspects of the shoe: just the upper, the back of the strap and the heel.