Christian Louboutin lost a legal battle in Japan over its “red sole” trademark.
The Tokyo District Court said Louboutin couldn’t prove that their “red sole” is unique enough to be a trademark. Louboutin showed evidence like using the red sole in Japan for 20+ years, making money, advertising, and surveys. But the court thought red is commonly used on shoes in Japan to look good and catch people’s attention, so it’s not special enough for a trademark.