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Fashion designer Christian Louboutin is famous for the distinctive red lacquered soles on his high-end heels – so much that he trademarked the color to fend off competitors and knock-offs. The enforceability of that trademark is now in doubt after a New York federal judge found that the color on the shoe is a "decorative element" rather than a feature that can be trademarked, although the legal challenge by designer YSL is far from settled. "Louboutin shoes are readily identifiable by their red soles," says litigation attorney Jennifer Ingram of Dallas-based Munck Carter, who has experience in trademark matters. "Businesses of all types use trademarks to protect elements that make their products distinctive, including signature colors, but in this case the judge has given signals that he believes the use of color alone is overly broad." For more information, contact Robert Tharp at 800-559-4534 or robert@androvett.com.