Christian Louboutin vs Yves Saint Laurent: Before The Appeals Judges

Filed Under: Legal Matters Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! Christian Louboutin Yves Saint Laurent

The battle of the red sole is before three Appeals Court judges now.

To recap, Christian Louboutin is suing Yves Saint Laurent for also using a red sole.

Anyone in the fashion industry knows Louboutins always stand out in ads, television shows, etc. because their bright red soles.

In original court proceedings, the judge told Louboutin there could be no monopoly on the color red. And YSL argues they're not trying to copy; they just happen to make monochrome shoes. But naturally, Louboutin is appealing since they have trademark not on red, but Chinese Red.

And so the appeal came to life in court on Tuesday, with Monsieur Louboutin present, as this is something very important to him.

He states:

For YSL, this might just be a legal matter, but that’s not the case for me. On the contrary, to me it is very personal. After all, this is an intrinsic part of my life and my company, which bears my name, and which I have built over the past 20 years and still independently own. This is why I had to be there in person.

I was impressed by the way the judges ran the hearing. The company remains confident that the appeals court will adhere to its conviction that the red sole, this integral and long-held part of the brand’s identity and recognized by consumers worldwide, will continue to be recognized as the Christian Louboutin trademark.

We should find out the decision soon!!! To be continued…

[Image via Michael Carpenter/WENN.]

Tags: appeals court, chinese red, christian louboutin, christian louboutin vs yves saint laurent, lawsuit, yves saint laurent

Posted: January 25, 2012 at 4:30 pm