Thursday, November 3, 2011

Red Sole Law Suit

The pretty cherry red soles of the coveted Christian Louboutin shoes was copied by Yves Saint Laurent. While YSL has had shoes with red soles dating back to the 70's, Louboutin has had the red tradmarked in 2008. Louboutin argues that copying the red sole caused customer confusion, raising the demand for the YSL shoes because of his popularity. Louboutin is asking for over a million dollars in damage controll and for YSL to recall the millions in merchandise with the trademark infringement. In this situation, YSL argues that a color cannot be trademarked, but other luxury brands such as Tiffany's and Hermes have also done the same. The bright red sole that stands out is part of what makes the shoe a luxury item, the price is set much higher than equilibrium to keep the posh brand name.






No comments: