Crocs loses legal battle to protect plastic clog design

Judges in Luxembourg endorsed a decision of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) made in 2016 to cancel legal protections enjoyed by the company.

Now the European Court of Justice has agreed that the company sought its patent too late, in 2004, after debuting the shoes at a boat show in Florida in 2002.

EU law stipulates that protections cannot be provided for designs released to the public more than 12 months before an application is lodged.

A retailer in France made representations to EUIPO in 2013, arguing the shoes should not be protected.

The company, which has two months to appeal, has divided opinion with its distinctive footwear.

Sales of the shoes rose by 1,500 per cent after Prince George was photographed wearing a navy blue pair.

However, Time magazine said in 2010: “It doesn’t matter how popular they are, they’re pretty ugly.”

A Facebook group called I Don’t Care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like a Dumbass currently has 1,294,025 likes.