Louboutin files against Yves Saint Laurent
US-based French high-end footwear designer Christian Louboutin has filed a lawsuit in a Manhattan federal court, seeking a court injunction against the sale of what he describes as ‘copycat shoes’ by French luxury goods company Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) in the US and damages of at least $1 million.
Mr Louboutin filed the lawsuit on 7 April, 2011. Mr Louboutin registered his red-soled shoes with the US Patent and Trademark Office in 1997, but it is unclear whether the trademark covers all red-soled shoes. Yves Saint Laurent’s spring 2011 collection features a pair of red suede shoes with matching red soles. The collection also features purple shoes with purple soles, navy with navy soles and green with green soles.
The lawsuit states that in January, Mr Louboutin learned YSL was selling red soles at a number of retail outlets.
“The defendant’s use of red footwear outsoles that are virtually identical to the plaintiff’s Red Sole Mark is likely to cause and is causing confusion, mistake and deception among the relevant purchasing public as to the origin of the infringing footwear,” the lawsuit states. “The location of the bright colour on the outsole of a woman’s pump is said to provide an alluring ‘flash of red’ when a woman walks down the street, or on the red carpet of a special event”.
