The shoe manufacturer claimed its sandals “are copyright-protected works of applied art" that may not simply be imitated. Under German law, works of art enjoy stronger and longer-last intellectual property protections than ordinary consumer products.

A German court is putting its foot down. Birkenstocks are not art. Birkenstocks are cool enough for influencers, Hollywood stars and even Barbie — but they do not qualify as art, Germany’s top court ruled Thursday.

On Thursday, the federal court of justice in Karlsruhe, Germany, ruled that Birkenstocks were not “copyrighted works of applied art,” making it harder for the 251-year-old German shoemaker to combat the widespread sale of duplicates of its sandals across the internet.