German Court Rules Birkenstocks Are Not Art

Birkenstocks, which have moved beyond the counterculture to the runway, may be comfortable footwear, but they're not art, a German court ruled on Thursday.

Birkenstock, which was founded in 1774 and is headquartered in Linz am Rhein, Germany, sued to stop three competitors from selling similar-looking sandals.

Along with an injunction, the company sought to force competitors to recall and destroy similar products already on the market, the Associated Press reported.

But Germany's Federal Court of Justice said the sandals cannot be considered "copyrighted works of applied art."

"For copyright protection to apply, there must be such a degree of design that the product displays some individuality," the court said, according to the Guardian.

Despite the decision, Birkenstock said the lawsuit was a good step in protecting its brand.

"We want to ensure that copycats can no longer make money at the expense of our brand," said company spokesman Jochen Gutzy, the Associated Press reported.

Works of art in Germany have stronger intellectual property protections than consumer products, the AP said.

Birkenstock reported earnings on Thursday. It reported a revenue growth of 19% in the last quarter driven by strong holiday demand.