TOE-RIFFIC

Louboutin Wins EU Legal Battle for Trademark on Red Soles

Signature scarlet will remain the exclusive property of luxury brand.

Christian Louboutin, the luxury shoemaker famous for its distinctive scarlet soles, won a court battle Tuesday that validated its European Union trademark on its signature color use, the BBC reports. In 2012, the brand sued rival shoe company Van Haren for selling similar scarlet soles; the company defended itself by arguing that, under EU law, companies cannot trademark common objects like the soles of shoes. But today, the European Union’s highest court ruled the trademark standard applies to the shape of the sole, and not to its color. Louboutin welcomed the ruling, and said in a statement that “For 26 years, the red sole has enabled the public to attribute the origin of the shoe to its creator, Christian Louboutin.”