Germany’s federal court has rejected the artistic claims of the Birkenstock sandals and declared it as a normal footware.
According to CBS, the German Federal Court of Justice on Thursday, February 20, 2025, ruled that the Brikestocks are only comfortable footwear, not art.
The decision of the court came after one of the most well-known German brands in the world filed a lawsuit against three of its competitors for selling sandals similar to Birkenstocks.
One of the top five global footwear brands claimed that its sandals "are copyright-protected works of applied art" that cannot be replicate. The shoe manufacturer asked the court to stop its competitors from copying thier desi9gn and recall and destroy the one they are already selling in the market.
The court rejected the lawsuit, saying, “For the copyright protection of a work of applied art, as for all other types of work, the level of design must not be too low. Purely technical creation using formal design elements is not eligible for copyright protection. Rather, for copyright protection, a level of design must be achieved that reveals individuality."
Notably, the German law artworks are protected for a longer time compared to other ordinary products, which means that you cannot copy them wothout permission.
