New York ( CNN ) -- After digging their heels into a legal battle , two high-end French shoe designers can now lay claim to iconic red-soled shoes . A federal appeals court has ruled that shoe designer Christian Louboutin can enforce a U.S. trademark of the red-lacquered sole that adorns the designer 's footwear when it contrasts with the color of the rest of the shoe . The court also said Wednesday that the trademark does not apply when the shoe is monochromatic , such as Yves St. Laurent 's designs that were entirely red . A lawsuit filed in June 2011 by Louboutin took issue with four specific shoes from YSL 's Cruise 2011 Collection : the Tribute , Tribtoo , Palais and Woodstock models , saying they violated Louboutin 's trademarked `` lacquered red sole . '' Louboutin appealed after a federal court judge denied an injunction in August of last year that would have kept YSL from selling shoes with red soles . In his decision last year , Judge Victor Marrero said that `` Louboutin 's claim to the 'the color red ' is , without some limitation , overly broad and inconsistent with the scene of trademark registration . '' In the appellate decision , Circuit Judge Jose Cabranes upheld trademark protection of Louboutin 's red-lacquered outsole but said that YSL 's use of the red sole in its monochromatic shoe does not infringe on the trademark . According to the decision , Christian Louboutin introduced his signature red sole in 1992 and registered the red-lacquered outsole as a trademark in 2008 . In a news release , YSL says that its shoe collections have included styles with red ( and other colored ) outsoles since the 1970s . Both sides appeared to be satisfied with the appellate court decision . Harley Lewin , the attorney for Louboutin , said his client is `` very , very pleased '' with the decision , adding that nontraditional trademarks such as colors have to be developed over time . `` Color does n't start as something unique , it becomes unique , '' he said . `` More and more I think you 'll see this coming because of the need to differentiate your product from others on the shelf , '' he said . `` It will have influence on a far broader sense than just the fashion industry . '' David Bernstein , legal counsel to YSL , said in a Wednesday statement , `` We are happy to have achieved a victory in defending against Louboutin 's lawsuit . '' Bernstein reemphasized that YSL had not infringed on Louboutin 's trademark and `` will continue to produce monochromatic shoes with red outsoles . '' Louboutin 's science behind the perfect high heel . CNN 's Stephanie Gallman contributed to this report .
An appeals court says Christian Louboutin can enforce its red-lacquered sole trademark . The company has been trying to get the ruling overturned since it was filed in 2009. The trademark does not apply to monochromatic shoes , such as designs by Yves St. Laurent . A lawsuit that Louboutin filed in June 2011 took issue with four specific YSL shoes .