Kicks Nixed.

• Position: Johan Peretti and Nike e-mail exchange

Forwarded around the world, Jonah Peretti's e-mail exchange with Nike was no hoax, but a true shoe feud.

Peretti, 27, ordered shoes in Nike's "Personal ID" promotion on its Web site. Instead of his name, he requested the word "sweatshop" be put on them. Nike just wouldn't do it, sending Peretti a form letter about its policy against "inappropriate slang," and urging him to try again.

Ever courteous, Peretti said the dictionary doesn't consider "sweatshop" slang. He noted that Nike advertised the ID shoes as being about "freedom to express who you are" and that "my personal ID was offered as a small token of appreciation for the sweatshop workers poised to help me realize...