According to YSL, Christian Louboutin didn’t invent his trademarked red sole

In April this year we reported you the news that Christian Louboutin was suing Yves Saint Laurent for using his trademarked red sole on their shoe designs, but now, it seems YSL is fighting back against the lawsuit.

YSL has responded to the accusations of breaching copyright laws by claiming the shoe designer doesn’t have a monopoly on the colour – Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz wore them first, after all.

“Red outsoles are a commonly used ornamental design feature in footwear, dating as far back as the red shoes worn by King Louis XIV in the 1600s and the ruby red shoes that carried Dorothy home in The Wizard of Oz,” read the court papers filed by YSL.

“As an industry leader who has devoted his entire professional life to women’s footwear, Mr Louboutin either knew or should have known about some or all of the dozens of footwear models that rendered his sworn statement false.”

After filing a trademark infringement lawsuit against YSL last month in New York, Louboutin is now seeking $1 million worth of damages from YSL for copying his signature coloured sole on “virtually identical” shoes, reports Vogue UK.

In 2008, Louboutin trademarked the red sole in the US and reportedly asked YSL to refrain from using the colour red in January this year.

Looks like they didn’t listen.