Merely a common sandal

Birkenstock sandals aren’t works of art, a German court ruled Feb. 20, and they can therefore be copied like any other consumer product. The makers of the cork-and-latex sandals had sought relief in court against copycat manufacturers that have eaten into the shoemaker’s market share. “We want to ensure that copycats can no longer make money at the expense of our brand,” spokesman Jochen Gutzy told The Guardian. If the court had declared the sandals a copyrighted work of applied art, the designation would have allowed the company to sue competitors.