If Nike Defends Itself, Is That a Commercial?

Nike Inc. is the world's largest athletic footwear company. Nike, with its 900 factories in 51 countries and more than 600,000 employees, is currently embroiled in a Supreme Court case in the US. This case stems from a 1998 lawsuit, in which San Francisco activist Marc Kasky charged that Nike had made false statements about sweatshop conditions in its Asian factories. Mr. Kasky asserted that Nike's statements violated California's unfair-competition and false-advertising laws, and sought a court order to financially penalize Nike. Nike is a multinational giant whose conduct, as determined by the forthcoming Supreme Court verdict, will have a worldwide impact. The Supreme Court ruling will determine the extent to which US-based multinational corporations may participate in public debates over their foreign business operations and contractors, and whether they can be held responsible for the social and environmental practices of their overseas operations and contractors. – YaleGlobal