Birkenstocks, the popular sandal brand, has faced a legal battle in Germany over whether their sandals can be classified as art. The Federal Court of Justice ruled that they are merely comfortable footwear, siding with a previous appeals court decision that found no artistic merit in the design. Birkenstock had sought to protect its designs from imitation, arguing they are copyright-protected works of applied art. Teljes cikk (Euronews.com)