Nike paid $35 for the Swoosh. That still does not tell you what it bought.
P01 · Nike · Carolyn Davidson · the Swoosh
The $35 invoice
8 frames6 asset recordsPublication gated
An invoice can record a charge. It does not automatically record every right transferred.
Who created the work?
What exactly was delivered?
Was copyright assigned, licensed, or left unstated?
Which uses, markets, media, and duration were covered?
The famous number is evidence of price—not a complete contract.
Ask for the instrument, not just the anecdote.
Counsel review
Review this package in four steps
Nothing is cleared or published by using this page. Open supporting records only when needed.
Sources18 records
What supports this story
- 17 U.S.C. § 106 — Exclusive rights in copyrighted worksUnited States Congress; Legal Information Institute access copy · authority/proof boundary
- 17 U.S.C. § 202 — Ownership of copyright as distinct from ownership of material objectUnited States Congress; Legal Information Institute access copy · authority/proof boundary
- 17 U.S.C. § 204 — Execution of transfers of copyright ownershipUnited States Congress; Legal Information Institute access copy · authority/proof boundary
- Rights Clearance: A Guide for Independent FilmmakersWorld Intellectual Property Organization · authority/proof boundary
- Smithsonian Open AccessSmithsonian Institution · archive/context evidence
- Freelancers Union Contract CreatorFreelancers Union · authority/proof boundary
- Perma.ccPerma.cc / Harvard Library Innovation Lab · authority/proof boundary
- Graphic Artists GuildGraphic Artists Guild · authority/proof boundary
- Copyright Public Records SystemU.S. Copyright Office · claim/context evidence
- Smithsonian Learning LabSmithsonian Institution · archive/context evidence
- MiradorCommunity-driven IIIF project · claim/context evidence
- Hypothesis ProjectHypothesis nonprofit/open-standards project · claim/context evidence
- O*NET Web ServicesU.S. Department of Labor-sponsored O*NET program · claim/context evidence
- Data.gov API and CatalogU.S. General Services Administration · archive/context evidence
- Film Director and CrewWikimedia Commons · literal-media candidate
- Artists & PhotographersLibrary of Congress · literal-media candidate
- ILO World of Work Photo LibraryInternational Labour Organization · literal-media candidate
- The $2,000 VideoInstitutions of One Reader · reader experience/companion surface
Tools and interactives45 records
Explore the system
- PixelMusica — Video Production TeamWikimedia Commons · literal-media candidate
- Smithsonian Open AccessSmithsonian Institution · archive/context evidence
- OpenverseOpenverse / WordPress · literal-media candidate
- Freelancers Union Contract CreatorFreelancers Union · authority/proof boundary
- Meta Ad LibraryMeta · reader action/tool
- LinkedIn Ad LibraryLinkedIn · reader action/tool
- Google Ads Transparency CenterGoogle · reader action/tool
- TikTok Creative Center — Top AdsTikTok · reader action/tool
- OpenverseOpenverse / WordPress project · literal-media candidate
- Europeana APIs and IIIFEuropeana Foundation · reader action/tool
- Creative Commons Search PortalCreative Commons · reader action/tool
- Internet Archive Save Page NowInternet Archive · reader action/tool
- Perma.ccPerma.cc / Harvard Library Innovation Lab · authority/proof boundary
- Zotero and Web APICorporation for Digital Scholarship · reader action/tool
- Crossref REST APICrossref · reader action/tool
- Unpaywall APIOurResearch · reader action/tool
- DataCite Commons and APIDataCite · reader action/tool
- FlourishFlourish / Canva · playable/embed candidate
- DatawrapperDatawrapper · playable/embed candidate
- Google Dataset SearchGoogle · reader action/tool
- GitHub Repository REST APIGitHub · reader action/tool
- Smithsonian Open Access and APISmithsonian Institution · reader action/tool
- LinkedIn Publishing Platform GuidelinesLinkedIn · reader action/tool
- LinkedIn Article and Newsletter Publishing HelpLinkedIn · reader action/tool
- FTC Endorsement Guides and Disclosures 101U.S. Federal Trade Commission · literal-media candidate
- YouTube Embedded Sponsorship and Paid-Promotion RulesYouTube / Google · playable/embed candidate
- Graphic Artists GuildGraphic Artists Guild · authority/proof boundary
- Copyright Public Records SystemU.S. Copyright Office · claim/context evidence
- IP IdentifierU.S. Patent and Trademark Office · reader action/tool
- IP Basic ToolkitsU.S. Patent and Trademark Office · reader action/tool
- Library of Congress IIIF Image ServicesLibrary of Congress · literal-media candidate
- Smithsonian Learning LabSmithsonian Institution · archive/context evidence
- NEA Artists and Cultural Workers Statistical PortraitNational Endowment for the Arts · reader action/tool
- BEA Arts and Cultural Production Satellite AccountU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · reader action/tool
- IRS Gig Economy Tax CenterInternal Revenue Service · literal-media candidate
- SoundCiteJSNorthwestern University Knight Lab · literal-media candidate
- StorylineJSNorthwestern University Knight Lab · reader action/tool
- MiradorCommunity-driven IIIF project · claim/context evidence
- Hypothesis ProjectHypothesis nonprofit/open-standards project · claim/context evidence
- H5P Content Types and Accessibility MatrixH5P core team · literal-media candidate
- Vega-LiteUniversity of Washington Interactive Data Lab and open-source community · playable/embed candidate
- O*NET Web ServicesU.S. Department of Labor-sponsored O*NET program · claim/context evidence
- Data.gov API and CatalogU.S. General Services Administration · archive/context evidence
- Copyright Claims Board HandbookU.S. Copyright Office — Copyright Claims Board · reader action/tool
- Ownership TrailInstitutions of One Reader · reader experience/companion surface
Rights and permitted use6 asset records
What may appear
Ownership TrailHOLD
Companion Reader experience
Credit Institutions of One Reader. Source: https://institutions-of-one-reader.vercel.app/experiences/ownership-trail
License RN-controlled Reader surface
File availability REMOTE REFERENCE ONLY
OpenverseHOLD
Never auto-approve a result from aggregator metadata.
Credit Openverse / WordPress. Source: https://openverse.org/about
License Discovery only; Openverse explicitly does not verify indexed licenses or attribution; original-source review and rights freeze mandatory
File availability REMOTE REFERENCE ONLY
OpenverseHOLD
Never auto-clear from indexed metadata alone.
Credit Openverse / WordPress project. Source: https://openverse.org/
License License varies; verify every record at original source
File availability REMOTE REFERENCE ONLY
DatawrapperHOLD
Keep downloadable data and static fallback; quarterly QA.
Credit Datawrapper. Source: https://www.datawrapper.de/
License Dataset rights remain separate; service terms govern embeds/exports
File availability REMOTE REFERENCE ONLY
SoundCiteJSHOLD
Inline listen-to-the-evidence moments inside articles without a detached player.
Credit Northwestern University Knight Lab. Source: https://soundcite.knightlab.com/
License Audio, performance and composition rights remain separate; transcript is required for accessibility.
File availability REMOTE REFERENCE ONLY
Vega-LiteHOLD
Reusable evidence-card renderer with filters, tooltips and downloadable data.
Credit University of Washington Interactive Data Lab and open-source community. Source: https://vega.github.io/vega-lite/docs/
License BSD-licensed software; datasets and fonts/media retain separate licenses.
File availability REMOTE REFERENCE ONLY
Captions, credits, alt text and proof limits
Visual treatment
Minimal Nike publisher/title/date strip above RN-original AUTHOR → INVOICE → UNKNOWN TERMS diagram.
Alt text
Capture from Nike's official Swoosh history showing the named Swoosh design and archival design material.
Credit
Source: Department of Nike Archives, Nike, October 2, 2025; accessed August 24, 2026. Nike page and marks © Nike, Inc.
Rights posture
ATTORNEY-REVIEW SOURCE CAPTURE — NOT CLEARED
Proof boundary
Supports Nike’s published account of the $35 commission; does not establish the invoice terms, assignment, license, or complete legal effect.
Asset SHA-256f242b1ab51e1d6d792de346de6b4256b0f8afbd45ca5a5df0a2545f107c3eea6
Visual treatment
RN-original invoice field map: service, amount, date, deliverable, rights—rights marked UNPROVEN.
Alt text
Capture from Nike's official Swoosh history showing the named Swoosh design and archival design material.
Credit
Source: Department of Nike Archives, Nike, October 2, 2025; accessed August 24, 2026. Nike page and marks © Nike, Inc.
Rights posture
ATTORNEY-REVIEW SOURCE CAPTURE — NOT CLEARED
Proof boundary
Supports Nike’s published account of the $35 commission; does not establish the invoice terms, assignment, license, or complete legal effect.
Asset SHA-256f242b1ab51e1d6d792de346de6b4256b0f8afbd45ca5a5df0a2545f107c3eea6
Visual treatment
RN-original AUTHOR node naming Carolyn Davidson; no portrait or Swoosh reproduction.
Alt text
Capture from Nike's official Swoosh history showing the named Swoosh design and archival design material.
Credit
Source: Department of Nike Archives, Nike, October 2, 2025; accessed August 24, 2026. Nike page and marks © Nike, Inc.
Rights posture
ATTORNEY-REVIEW SOURCE CAPTURE — NOT CLEARED
Proof boundary
Supports Nike’s published account of the $35 commission; does not establish the invoice terms, assignment, license, or complete legal effect.
Asset SHA-256f242b1ab51e1d6d792de346de6b4256b0f8afbd45ca5a5df0a2545f107c3eea6
Visual treatment
RN-original DELIVERABLE box with open evidence slot.
Alt text
Capture from Nike's official Swoosh history showing the named Swoosh design and archival design material.
Credit
Source: Department of Nike Archives, Nike, October 2, 2025; accessed August 24, 2026. Nike page and marks © Nike, Inc.
Rights posture
ATTORNEY-REVIEW SOURCE CAPTURE — NOT CLEARED
Proof boundary
Supports Nike’s published account of the $35 commission; does not establish the invoice terms, assignment, license, or complete legal effect.
Asset SHA-256f242b1ab51e1d6d792de346de6b4256b0f8afbd45ca5a5df0a2545f107c3eea6
Visual treatment
RN-original three-branch rights diagram; none selected.
Alt text
Capture from Nike's official Swoosh history showing the named Swoosh design and archival design material.
Credit
Source: Department of Nike Archives, Nike, October 2, 2025; accessed August 24, 2026. Nike page and marks © Nike, Inc.
Rights posture
ATTORNEY-REVIEW SOURCE CAPTURE — NOT CLEARED
Proof boundary
Supports Nike’s published account of the $35 commission; does not establish the invoice terms, assignment, license, or complete legal effect.
Asset SHA-256f242b1ab51e1d6d792de346de6b4256b0f8afbd45ca5a5df0a2545f107c3eea6
Visual treatment
RN-original four-column scope matrix, all cells marked NOT ESTABLISHED BY AMOUNT.
Alt text
Capture from Nike's official Swoosh history showing the named Swoosh design and archival design material.
Credit
Source: Department of Nike Archives, Nike, October 2, 2025; accessed August 24, 2026. Nike page and marks © Nike, Inc.
Rights posture
ATTORNEY-REVIEW SOURCE CAPTURE — NOT CLEARED
Proof boundary
Supports Nike’s published account of the $35 commission; does not establish the invoice terms, assignment, license, or complete legal effect.
Asset SHA-256f242b1ab51e1d6d792de346de6b4256b0f8afbd45ca5a5df0a2545f107c3eea6
Visual treatment
RN-original EVIDENCE / INFERENCE boundary card.
Alt text
Capture from Nike's official Swoosh history showing the named Swoosh design and archival design material.
Credit
Source: Department of Nike Archives, Nike, October 2, 2025; accessed August 24, 2026. Nike page and marks © Nike, Inc.
Rights posture
ATTORNEY-REVIEW SOURCE CAPTURE — NOT CLEARED
Proof boundary
Supports Nike’s published account of the $35 commission; does not establish the invoice terms, assignment, license, or complete legal effect.
Asset SHA-256f242b1ab51e1d6d792de346de6b4256b0f8afbd45ca5a5df0a2545f107c3eea6
Visual treatment
RN-original checklist: invoice, agreement, assignment, license, amendments.
Alt text
Capture from Nike's official Swoosh history showing the named Swoosh design and archival design material.
Credit
Source: Department of Nike Archives, Nike, October 2, 2025; accessed August 24, 2026. Nike page and marks © Nike, Inc.
Rights posture
ATTORNEY-REVIEW SOURCE CAPTURE — NOT CLEARED
Proof boundary
Supports Nike’s published account of the $35 commission; does not establish the invoice terms, assignment, license, or complete legal effect.
Asset SHA-256f242b1ab51e1d6d792de346de6b4256b0f8afbd45ca5a5df0a2545f107c3eea6
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