Not All Red Sole Shoes Are Alike

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You may have heard that there was a bit of trouble in Christian Louboutin’s Red Sole heaven when a certain Yves Saint Laurent Palais pump appeared on the market (which will result, undoubtedly, in a serious increase of sales volume for the YSL pumps in question).

The red Palais (you can see a pink and a navy Palais in the picture below) was, according to the Louboutin people, a trademark infringement (worth $1million), as only Louboutin shoes can have red soles. We should note here that The YSL Palais’ sole actually has the same color as the pump’s outsole. What’s your stand on the matter? Before you say anything, just read the following quote as the fierce people at YSL, who are not easily fooled, quickly explained few historical facts to the good Louboutin folks: (NYP via theGloss)

Red outsoles are a commonly used ornamental design feature in footwear, dating as far back as the red shoes worn by King Louis XIV in the 1600s and the ruby red shoes that carried Dorothy home in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ ” YSL says in court papers. “As an industry leader who has devoted his entire professional life to women’s footwear, Mr. Louboutin either knew or should have known about some or all of the dozens of footwear models that rendered his sworn statement false.

Yves Saint Laurent Palais pumps

1 comment so far

#1 mdinah on 05.25.11 at 8:34 am

it doesnt matter that it have been used for centuries maybe(the red sole).
Loubotin was the one who registered it AS A TRADE MARK and as that it must be respected.
His lawyers wouldnt start the proceedings if they knew they dont have a case.

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