Christian Louboutin, who first designed his trademark shoe in 1993, using an assistant’s red nail polish, has won a court battle to protect the red soles for which the brand is known.
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday that because the soles in question did not consist only of a shape, but also of a colour, they were shielded by the trademark rules.
Louboutin took Dutch high street brand Van Haren to court after it began selling high-heeled shoes with red soles. The designer registered the red soles as a trademark for footwear in 2010, and more specifically for high-heeled shoes in 2013.
The luxury brand said it “warmly welcomes” the judgement. “For 26 years, the red sole has enabled the public to attribute the origin of the shoe to its creator, Christian Louboutin,” the brand said in a statement.
“This case will now be referred back to The Hague Court which is expected to confirm the validity of the red sole trademark.”
