Guys, it's finally over.
The exhausting court battle over red-soled shoes draws to a close as Yves Saint Laurent drops its lawsuit against Christian Louboutin. Women's Wear Daily reports that the folks at YSL were content with the most recent court decision, which allowed YSL to make monochromatic red shoes (where both the soles and uppers are red)... but still granted Christian Louboutin trademark protection over the red sole alone.
Saint Laurent's attorney, David Bernstein, told WWD, "Now that the Court of Appeals has definitively ruled for Yves Saint Laurent and has dismissed Christian Louboutin’s claims, Yves Saint Laurent has decided to end what was left of the litigation and refocus its energies on its business and its creative designs."
Thank heavens. The case has been raging since April 2011, when Christian Louboutin sued YSL for using red soles on the bottom of its red pumps. Louboutin's 2011 suit, which demanded $1 million in damages, was based on a trademark granted to Louboutin in 2008. Yet when the suit came before a U.S. district judge in August 2011, the legitimacy of such a trademark was called into question, opening the case up.
The case was mostly resolved last month when a New York federal court of appeals decided that Louboutin is entitled to its trademark on red soles, except when the entire shoe is red like Yves Saint Laurent's.
Which appears to have satisfied YSL. Phew. We don't know about you, but we don't want to hear the words "red soles" ever again.
Muster any remaining strength you have to read more at WWD.com.
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