GIVEN THE BOOT

Rihanna’s Instagram Costs Puma an EU Trademark

The EU General Court said that it “rejects Puma’s arguments that nobody took an interest in Rihanna’s shoes in December 2014.”

A European Union court ruled on Tuesday that Puma cannot legally protect a shoe design, because photos of the sneakers had previously appeared on Rihanna’s social media, according to POLITICO. Puma attempted to register a shoe design with the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office two years after the pop star first posted photos of her wearing the sneakers and signing the papers for her new role as the company’s creative director. The registration was challenged by Dutch trading company J.H. van Hilst, which argued that the shoes had already been in the public domain. The EU General Court ruled against Puma, saying it “rejects Puma’s arguments that nobody took an interest in Rihanna’s shoes in December 2014.” Rihanna’s fans “developed a particular interest in the shoes that she wore” when she signed her contract, the court said.