AMEN! Go Christian! I'm on his side 100%.

i agree 100% also!!

So true. They are all his.

I agree! Fight 'em Christian!

Ha! I have some Oh! Deer shoes and nobody even knows what the red sole is all about...one woman literally said to me one time, "Did you know the bottoms of your shoes are red? That's so cute!"

There's nothing new under the sun....

Um, I disagree. Get over yourself....it's a fun detail that others should be able to enjoy.

AWESOME! I HATE all the fakes! I spend a lot of money getting my Louboutins and cringe when I see red soled shoes in a Victoria's Secret catalogue. AND they're horrendous!!!

100% agree with him.....copyers.....NOT HOT

But was this other company using the red sole before him? I agree with shmoo, it's taking away a detail that others may want to employ. I remember looking at wedding shoes and loving the ones with baby-blue bottoms. What if that was the color of choice for Louboutin?

First of all, Louboutins have been red soled before anyone else. Secondly, Louboutin created a special pair of light blue soled wedding shoes for some debutante.

Louboutin makes the fabulous shoes that everybody wants on their feet. They are copied times over yet his are marked by craftsmanship, original design, and the red sole. They are like his signature and stamp of approval on a shoe and I don't think that any other shoemaker should be able to use that.

i LOVE Louboutin's shoes, and completely agree with him!
i wish i had a pair myself
i see shoes with the red soles everywhere, it's kind of annoying

keep the red soles to Louboutin only! that has been his trademark for MANY years, and because his shoes are more popular than ever, other shoe companies are trying to captialize on that, not cool.

On one hand, I understand where he is coming from BUT on the other hand I also think Oh Deer! should be allowed to keep their red soles as well. Maybe if Louboutin didn’t charge upwards of $800 for his shoes, us people on normal budgets wouldn’t have to resort to purchasing fakes or look-a-likes. I realize he charges that much for craftsmanship and blah, blah but most of us can’t afford that. When I’m rich, I’ll buy his shoes glady but right now I can barely afford the $100+ Oh Deers!

I don't even own Loub's but I was offended when I saw a pair of red-soled shoes for $40 on Melrose. I enjoy the discreet status symbol of the red sole.

When u pay that kind of money for shoes you want people to know it!! We work hard to able to purchase his shoes. I agree with him 100%

I'm sure it's annoying to see people copying him, but maybe it's time for him to come up with a new and original idea. What if Chanel decided that ballet style shoes were their idea first, or that they should be the only ones allowed to sell suits for women? Wouldn't that be a little limiting to the rest of the world???
I'm sure the women who buy his shoes are not going to suddenly start buying $100.00 shoes simply because of the red soles. Plus, the shoes are not exactly identical.

Way to go, Louboutin! RED!

If his request is approved, I'm going file my own patent application that no shoe maker can manufacture black soled shoes. Please, it's not a design, it's a frickin' color. Not so sure he's going to win this one...

his shoes ARE new and original most of the time....and i think if he wants to fight to try and keep one design aspect only his, he should be able to.

other chocolate candies can't stamp M's on the shells....because it's a trademark of m%m's. you can make all the chocolate candies you want....but they aren't the same. shoe designers don't have the luxury of keeping recipes to themselves, once the look is out there....it can be copied. so the trademark should be allowed, i think.

I totally agree with him! I would do the same thing! Hehe.

Good!!! I knew this was finally going to come!!!

I'm behind him 110%!

Louboutin and his red soles are just one part of a much larger cultural association with red, red on feet, and high heels (i.e. Louis the fourteenth red heels)... He might be able to trademark a particual shade of red and call it "Louboutin red" (kindof like yeves klien blue) but actually trademarking a red sole might be impossible. either way, the museum at FIT is having an exhibition on him this spring!

Christian!! Make me some shoes!! I agree with him... 150%..

Shame Oh..Deer! I think I saw those shoes too.. hmmph

what an *sshole! i love the red soils, but i don't think i'm gonna buy his shoes just because of that. it's just like paris hilton trade-marking the fraze that's hot. what's next? dior will trade-mark colour red? and no one will be allowed to use it in their collections? ridicilous.

you're a bunch of self-acclamed fashionistas who jsut want to be noticed. when i wear designer things i don't parade the tags. and you want your shoes to be recognized... 95% of population won't tell the difference even after you explain it to them... only fashionistas like you will understand and believe me thei don't need the red sole to know what kind of shoes you're wearing.

I agree with you Allytta! You said it best!

yes Allytta you said it!!!!!

I agree with Allytta as well. I buy designer items because I like them and because of the quality. I do not buy them so that others can see the tag/brand. I also don't typically buy items that have the logo all over it. I get complements on them by people who don't have a clue about what they are truly worth sometimes. I know what it is and that is all that matters.

Actually, I find a lot of louboutins to be quite unattractive. I prefer Zanotti's.

There are numerous knock-offs & other legit brands out there right now using red soles.

hopefully the fur is soft & not all rough like the fakes.

I think this whole thing is bullsh*t. Get real! It's a frickin color... he can't patent a color [although, now that I think about it... didn't Tiffany's try to patent their blue?]

I'd like to own a couple pairs of Louboutin's because I like the style and they're quite comfy... but I refuse to pay the prices... on principle! I can afford them... I just refuse to do it!

Also, if I did own a pair of red soled shoes [which I don't and don't have immediate plans to do so], I wouldn't have them because they're a "status symbol" or a fake of a "status symbol" [as one previous post commented], I'd have them because I like the shoe.

I think our world needs to get over this whole "status" symbol thing... there are much more important things to be concerned about.

I've become really sick over how greedy, overpriced and shabbily produced the fashion industry has become. And it makes me sick to hear my friends tell stories of how their kids are getting beat up because they don't have an American Girl Doll, or the latest gym shoes or games. What kind of world are we living in?

Sorry... I didn't intend for this post to get this long, but it's been eating at me for too long.

I feel like buying a pair of those Oh Deer's just to prove a point.

Geez, what is with designers? First everyone is going after Forever 21 for copying their designs and now this?! Fashion is about imitation! Everything that is trendy now was copied from something else a while back. I do love Louboutin's shoes but I can't afford them. I never owned a pair of Oh Deer's either. But if I did, I wouldn't pretend they were real. I think Louboutin is not loosing any money from this. In fact, with the following he has and the price per pair, he's doing rather well. It's just another method used by the rich to keep their bracket away from the lower and middle class.

If you wrote a book or song melody and someone copied it and sold it as their own wouldn't that make you angry. Your hard work, creativity and thought process is out there working for someone else. I think logos or signatures should be patented. Louboutin created his red soles as a signature near the beginning of his career and only recently have I seen red soles on other shoes brands. To me this is clearly a ploy to knock-off another designer and make money from their name. I agree with him and Gwen Stefani for suing Forever 21. If you can't afford the real thing then don't buy a knock off. There are so many great pieces that you can buy at affordable prices and the only reason I know for buying fake is because you want it to seem real. The buyer wants to fit into the status these symbols represent (ie fake Louis Vuitton, the symbols are recongizable even without his trademark LV, they are usually the biggest way to spot a fake and quality). Originality is absent in the world today and I think it is sad if we have come to the end of human innovation. Just my 2 cents. Happy Friday!!

What a great idea!

I agree-you can always tell a pair of Louboutins from far away by the red sole!

i can't believe anyone cares about this. this is so out of touch with reality. and not to mention, a complete WASTE of the legal system. Tie up money and time so the miniscule fraction of the population who wears/recognizes the brand can feel special. don't get me wrong, i'd love to have a pair. but i don't care THAT much.

It's not about consumers or about "us" - it's about an artist being able to protect his creation. That's what the whole copyright law is for. You think every application for a trademark or copyright ties up the legal system? When nike applied to trademark the check or "just do it" did that tie up the legal system?

I AGREE! I hate when I see girls walking down the street with the red sole - i know those shoes arent the real thing! Rip offs.

eh. who cares. Why should you care if someone else is using an imitation.

Glad CL is going for the patent though.

He does great work a true master but seriously most people don't recognize the red sole. Due to if you can't afford it why care. I know what it means, but how many others do. This copycat war is silly. Designers want people to crave their clothing but have sky high prices. THen they wonder why people buy the $100 knockoff of their $6000 dress. Well $100 is affordable and at times strecthing most peoples budgets. So red sole I'm sorry I don't care. Cry me a river.

Boo. A lot of his shoes are ugly anyway. People can charge crazy money from some things, but it won't be from me. I don't really care much about high fashion... I shop at target and goodwill for heaven's sake. But there's nothing wrong with those of you that do, I'm just saying "RED SOLES" aren't anything to get all in a tizzy about, IMO.

I love CL shoes, especially CL pumps. They are very high quality and last a long time (unlike the shoes of another famous designer, where the strap on one pair broke after one use and the metallic on another rubbed off after a couple of uses). However, I couldn't care less about the red soles. In fact, I wish I could get CL shoes WITHOUT red soles since I get the soles on all my shoes covered with a sole protector.

i'm with you juliannarose. tiffany did the same thing - the tiffany blue is a trademarked color. louboutin should trademark the red he uses, then other companies would have to use a different shade of red.

besides, isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery?

i think he has the right to keep the red soles to himself since that's what he's known for...

Good on him i dont care if the majority of ppl wont recognise the sole...the industry and the audience his shoes are aimed at will at thats the point! so you go fight for your trademark damn it! He has a right to stand out as a designer isnt that the point!!

The Nike swoosh or the "M" in M&M's as some of you have mentioned, are logos, which are trademarked and protected by law. IMO, this is different.

is there any way possible that i can possibly start a petition for him?

i love christian louboutin.

I love his shoes and all but SORRY HONEY, you were not the first person to put red soles on your shoes.