Van Haren guilty in Christian Louboutin red sole case

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Feb 7, 2019

Christian Louboutin has won a court battle against Dutch footwear brand Van Haren over its famous red bottoms. Van Haren has been ordered to pay damages to Louboutin (to be determined by the District Court), including its “full legal costs” and attorney’s fees. 

 
Louboutin’s legal counsel went after Van Haren in 2012 after the launch of a collection of high-heeled shoes featuring red soles. 
 
Earlier, the District Court of The Hague ordered Van Haren to stop manufacturing and selling any black and blue shoes bearing red-soles, and ordered the brand to pay damages to Louboutin, which the brand appealed. The two brands then appeared in front of the Court of Justice of the European Union this summer.

But the CJEU, sent the case back to the District Court of The Hague, which again sided with Louboutin. 
 
Van Haren could potentially still pursue an appeal of the court’s decision. 
 
The victory is the result of one of many lawsuits the luxury brand has launched across the globe in defense of its red shoe soles. Louboutin has a red sole trademark registration since January 2010, which was issued by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”).
 
Most recently, Christian Louboutin wrapped up a case against Yves Saint Laurent and has equally launched suits against fast-fashion brands like Zara in France.