Christian Louboutin gets trademark protection for signature red soles

A New York federal court of appeals today granted Christian Louboutin trademark protection on his signature red soles, except in cases where the whole shoe is red.

This is just the latest in a lengthy legal battle between Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent that began last year when YSL produced a red-soled pump and their competitor sued, claiming the shoe violated the trademark protection they obtained back in 2008.

While judges for the lower level courts have thusfar ruled against Louboutin and brought up the question whether he should be able to trademark the color at all, the latest appellate ruling grants him protection in most cases, with the sole exception of all-red shoes.

That’s great and all, but the problem is that the YSL pumps were indeed red all over, meaning the case is going right back to the lower courts to (hopefully) be settled once and for all.

Let’s just hope Hedi Slimane isn’t planning on sending red-soled pumps down the Saint Laurent Paris runway next month.