Fashion designer Christian Louboutin has locked horns with Yves St Laurent (YSL) over the right to use a red sole on a shoe.
Trade mark registration of the red sole
Some of Louboutin’s shoes have a distinctive red sole. To maintain the exclusivity of this design feature, Louboutin has registered the red sole as a trade mark. As a result, Louboutin is now filing a suit against YSL, which has recently also started to market shoes with red soles. Louboutin is demanding USD 1 million in compensation.
Benelux too?
The case is currently confined to the United States, but there’s a good chance it may spread to Europe since Louboutin has also registered the trade mark in the Benelux.
