Good news for our love: Christian Louboutin was granted a US trademark on his red soles...
http://news.agendainc.com/wp-content/loub0108.pdf
http://news.agendainc.com/wp-content/loub0108.pdf
C L Trademark
- Thread starter canismajor
- Start date
Good, it will stop the knock-offs! I saw a black pump with red sole at White House Black Market.
unbelievable ......
and I thought that was a respectable place.
I'm not sure about the production aspect of it, and the regional issue is a whole other animal.
Fundamentally, it prevents other companies from having the red soles standard throughout their line of shoes, implying that 'red sole' = X company (i.e. what oh DEER! had going on).
It's a limited but exciting step...
I know a lot of people say "what's the big deal with the red soles," or "he's not the one who started it," etc. But I think people forget that while others may have tried it in the past, it never took off. I own a few pairs of shoes with soles that are of different color (hot pink, gold, etc.) but they never became "popular" or associated with a certain designer's name. CL was the only one who really pushed the red soles from the beginning and actually succeeded.
That said, I am not sure if the color can be patented. I really do hope that he finds a way though. This man deserves to be acknowledged and credited for being really innovative AND persistent with his design. I am sure in the beginning, people were like who cares about the red soles since it is not visible, but he stuck to it and made it successful. A lot of people would have given up - i.e. hot pink/gold/multicolor soles from other designers in the past. I really admire people who stick to their vision.
Just my two cents.
That said, I am not sure if the color can be patented. I really do hope that he finds a way though. This man deserves to be acknowledged and credited for being really innovative AND persistent with his design. I am sure in the beginning, people were like who cares about the red soles since it is not visible, but he stuck to it and made it successful. A lot of people would have given up - i.e. hot pink/gold/multicolor soles from other designers in the past. I really admire people who stick to their vision.
Just my two cents.
Like in your above, there are people who say that the red is not visible and people don't care, but I'd like to share that there are actually quite a few men (even straight ones
) who do take quite a notice to the red soles and have made very nice comments on them... 
Like in your above, there are people who say that the red is not visible and people don't care, but I'd like to share that there are actually quite a few men (even straight ones
I could'nt agree more, as I'm one of them
. That is, a man and a straight one at that (just ask the wife ). That's why I bought my wife, Karen, five pairs recently!
GoodI just wanted to *quickly* chime in -- This is a good question, and I can't stress enough that extraterritorial application of the U.S.'s intellectual property laws is a difficult animal to tackle. Under certain circumstances, you can seek enforcement of a U.S. intellectual property right in another country. For example, some international treaties allow for recognition and enforcement of an intellectual property right acquired in another signatory country. Also, if infringing products are making their way into the U.S., you can seek enforcement against those that are taking part in the domestic infringement.
Again, this is a complex area that really depends on the factual circumstances.
A disclaimer is in order: the foregoing is not intended to be legal advice, nor should it be relied upon or construed as such, and it should not be misconstrued to establish any attorney-client relationship.
