Trademark protection of single-colour trademarks: a study of the Chinese Louboutin case

Abstract

In December 2018, Beijing Higher Court released the final decision associated with Christian Louboutin's trademark registration of the famous Red Sole Mark, holding that the mark should be categorized as a single-colour mark applied to a specific portion of the good and it could be registered as a trademark in China. This decision is the first Chinese judicial opinion associated with trademark registrability of a single-colour mark applied to a specific portion of the good, and therefore it plays a significant role in future trademark protection of single-colour trademarks.