A favorite of Lindsay Lohan, Victoria Beckham and Miley Cyrus, designer Christian Louboutin is no stranger to the spotlight. Louboutins are known for their signature red sole, which the brand has trademarked to their products alone. Yves Saint Laurent has created four red shoes, each with red soles, named the "Tribute," the "Tribtoo," the "Palais" and the "Woodstock."

Christian Louboutin is not happy and is taking action.

After learning that these YSL shoes are being sold at Saks Fith Avenue, Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, Christian Louboutin decided to sue YSL for over one million dollars in damages. According to the shoemaker, he had originally come up with the idea of the red sole. He considers the idea to be entirely his own, as he gave his shoes "a red, gloss sole in 1992, by painting red nail polish on the bottom, because he felt that they lacked energy." According to Louboutin’s lawyer, the "Defendant's use of red footwear outsoles that are virtually identical to 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 red sole is a highly recognizable trademark of the brand, and the utilization of this feature undermines the work of the artist. The fashion industry loses two hundred and fifty billion dollars every year to counterfeits. Therefore, designer Christian Louboutin takes counterfeit lawsuits incredibly seriously. Even so, the YSL shoes hardly resemble Louboutin’s style at all, and the red sole simply matches the red suede uppers.

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