Those ugly cork-soled sandals you love so much

... went for a walk in the IP jungle

Footwear isn’t art. A German court ruled that Birkenstock sandals couldn’t be classified as anything other than shoes. Which is to say that the attempt to prevent competitive brands from designing and selling replica versions of the once unglamorous cork-soled footwear went south. Thus rendering toothless some copyright protections which the originator brand sued for.